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Change of Prime Minister and new Cabinet

27 August 2018

The Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry, the national rep­res­ent­at­ive body of the Aus­trali­an Jewish community, warmly con­grat­u­lates the Hon Scott Morrison MP on being sworn in as Australia’s 30^th Prime Minister.
We wish the Prime Minister and his team every success in guiding our nation and we look forward to con­struct­ive engage­ment with the Prime Minister and his gov­ern­ment for the good of our great nation.
We also con­grat­u­late the Hon Josh Fry­den­berg MP on being elected as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and his appoint­ment as Treasurer. Mr Frydenberg’s ascent is an enormous source of pride for the Aus­trali­an Jewish community. It is a further mani­fest­a­tion of the com­mit­ment to public service which Aus­trali­an Jews have always demon­strated and the diversity and tolerance of our society.
We also wish to extend our gratitude to the outgoing Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP. Mr Turnbull exhibited a rare warmth and famili­ar­ity with the Aus­trali­an Jewish community. His lifelong friend­ships with members of our community ensured that he felt at home at Jewish communal events where he was always warmly welcomed. He was tireless in cham­pi­on­ing causes that matter to our community. In 2014, he unveiled a monument arranged by the Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry to com­mem­or­ate the massacre of Soviet Jews during the Holocaust. He was an unwaver­ing supporter of Jewish national rights and the State of Israel. He viewed Israel as a marvel and a hub of ingenuity and progress that he hoped Australia could learn from. High points of his tenure from our com­munity’s per­spect­ive were last year’s visit to Australia of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and Mr Turnbull’s state visit to Israel during which he attended the centenary reen­act­ment of the Battle of Beersheba. He will be sorely missed by his many friends in the Jewish community.
We further note with regret the resig­na­tion of the Hon Julie Bishop MP as Foreign Minister. During Ms Bishop’s tenure as Foreign Minister, bilateral relations between Israel and Australia have reached new heights in many areas including trade and security, and Australia had an hon­our­able and cour­ageous voting record in the United Nations resisting its anti-Israel culture.
Ms Bishop was also a strong supporter of the ECAJ’s campaign to help survivors of the Holocaust and heirs of murdered Jews for resti­tu­tion of property in eastern Europe that is rightly theirs. For this, Ms Bishop will always have our deep respect and gratitude.
We con­grat­u­late Senator the Hon Marise Payne on her appoint­ment as Foreign Minister and look forward to working with her.
Contact:
Peter Wertheim AM | Co-CEO
ph: 02 8353 8500 | m: 0408 160 904
e: [email protected] | www.ecaj.org.au
Alex Ryvchin | Co-CEO
ph: 02 8353 8505 | m: 0478 297 245
e: [email protected] | www.ecaj.org.au