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Ahmed Faced Bullets. Albanese Couldn’t Face the Crowd.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was strangely absent from Day One of the SCG Test.

This is a man who never misses a photo opportunity involving a bat, a ball, or a hi-vis vest.

But yesterday, when the SCG gates opened and the cameras rolled, the PM was nowhere to be seen.

Not lost. Not delayed. Just… strategically missing.

And probably just as well.

Because the final Ashes Test began with a tribute to the first responders and community heroes of the Bondi Islamist terror attack.

The capacity crowd rose as one to applaud people who risked their lives helping others during the Bondi attack.

No scripts. No hashtags. Just pure gratitude for police, paramedics, lifeguards and a couple of ordinary bystanders who, on 14 December at Bondi Bach, did extraordinary things.

The loudest ovation was saved for Ahmed Al Ahmed, who courageously tackled one of the jihadis, and in so doing, undoubtedly saved countless lives.

The roar of the Sydney Cricket Ground crowd, in appreciation of Ahmed’s sacrifice – don’t forget he was shot after tackling one of the terrorists – was nothing short of spine-tingling.

What an amazing moment.

Genuine. Unifying. A moment of shared national gratitude.

A darn sight more unifying than a Welcome to Country.

Stark Contrast

But back to the PM.

Can you imagine the reception Anthony Albanese would have received had he dared to show his face at the cricket yesterday?

If the 48,000-strong crowd stood as one to applaud the terror attack first responders, how do you think they would have reacted to Albo had his face appeared on the big screen?

The boos and jeers would have echoed from the SCG right around the country.

The first responders were ordinary Australians who risked their lives running headlong into danger.

They didn’t consult a focus group or check the latest polling before acting. They did what was right, without second-guessing it.

What a contrast with our cowering PM, who has spent the past month running — as fast as his socialist legs will carry him — away from legitimate transparency and accountability.

Ahmed Al Ahmed braved gunfire to help Jews.

Albo won’t even brave a Royal Commission to help Jews.

Ahmed Al Ahmed risked his life to secure the safety of fellow Australians.

Albo isn’t willing to risk a Western Sydney vote for the safety of fellow Australians.

Ahmed Al Ahmed didn’t fear bullets. Anthony Albanese desperately fears ballots.

Anthony Albanese might still be in the Lodge, but he is now yesterday’s man.

He sits in the Lodge with about as much moral authority as the furniture.

When the Prime Minister of this country avoids the opening day of the SCG Test – not because he doesn’t like cricket, but because he’s scared of the crowd, well, he’s no leader at all.

I wonder if Albanese will dare make an appearance at the tennis.

Royal Commission Now

Speaking of making an appearance, the Teals have just gone public with calls for a Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorist attack.

They wrote to the PM a couple of weeks ago, insisting that a Royal Commission was the only way to independently review the tragedy.

In a letter to the PM dated 22 December, the Teals wrote:

While we welcome your government’s actions and commitments in the wake of the attack, we remain concerned that the measures proposed to date will not adequately address anti-Semitism in the community.

Well done to the Teals. They’ve made the right call.

On the other hand, that it took them so long to make this public is fairly typical of the Teals.

Great admirers of wind power that they are, they do like to stand around sniffing which way the breeze is blowing before making a principled stand.

So now, with the Liberals, the Nationals, One Nation and crossbenches all demanding a Royal Commission, the Labor Party is left with the Greens and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils in not publicly backing a proper inquiry into the Islamist terror attack.

Maybe I’m being unfair.

The Greens have said they’ll meet formally in the near future to decide whether or not the worst terror attack on Australian soil warrants a Commonwealth inquiry.

Nothing says we’re taking this seriously like declaring you’ll get to it “in the near future”.

And the Islamic Councils released a statement late last year saying they would back a Royal Commission on the condition that:

“It must also examine the ongoing impact of the genocide in Gaza on Australian communities, particularly the emotional and psychological toll on those communities directly impacted.”

So, if I’m reading that right, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils will only support a proper inquiry into the bloody murder of Australian Jews at Bondi if it also investigates how the actions of a foreign power, thousands of kilometres away, have made some Muslim Australians feel.

Is this really the corner the Federal Labor Government wants to be standing in? Corners have a habit of becoming traps.

But Anthony Albanese, right now… shoulder to shoulder with the Greens and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.

You probably heard Dawn Fraser’s brilliant speech yesterday, calling for a Royal Commission.

It was blunt, fearless, and unmistakably Australian. Qualities increasingly classified as dangerous.

I hope Anthony Albanese heard Dawn Fraser’s speech. Because this is what a leader sounds like:

“This is not a gun problem, this is not a one-off problem, this is an anti-Semitism problem and it has been building and building, and our leaders have sat on their hands too scared to say anything or do anything because, heaven forbid, they might be called racists. But it’s not racism when you’re doing the right thing to protect your country, and yes, sometimes the hard decisions have to be made for the better of this country.”

At 88 years old, Dawn Fraser has more courage, more clarity, and more love for this country than the man currently taking up space in The Lodge.

Speaking of whom, Dawn Fraser continued:

“And to you, Anthony Albanese, Tony Burke, Penny Wong, come down off your high horse and stop trying to run for cover. If the Jewish community is calling for a royal commission, then do the right thing by this community that has suffered enough. This is not about the spineless and weak; it’s about doing the right thing.”

A call to decency, and courage, and justice – from a living national treasure.

Take note, Anthony Albanese: when people of the stature of Dawn Fraser publicly rebuke you as spineless – and weak – you can be certain she’s saying out loud what the entire country is already thinking.

And I reckon Anthony Albanese knows it too.

Which is why he didn’t dare show his face at the cricket yesterday.

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Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Appeal for the Bondi Terrorist Attack Victims

Celebrate Israel, in partnership with the Canberra Declaration and other supporters, have organised a relief fund appeal for the victims and families of the Sydney Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Our giving team is called Celebrate Israel Australia on the platform and is part of a much larger appeal run on the Charidy giving website. All donations are tax-deductible and will be administrated by the Jewish United Support Fund.

The relief fund will provide direct financial support, helping families begin to rebuild their lives after this tragedy. Assistance is especially needed to cover essential commitments when the family’s primary breadwinner has been killed. Find out more about this appeal on The Daily Declaration here.

Please stand alongside the Jewish community as a visible demonstration of God’s love to them at this critical time of need. So far, over $29,000 has already been donated, and we prayerfully seeking to raise $100,000.

Please share this appeal button with your church networks and friends.

Give by clicking the green button below.

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