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Attorney-General says an “extraordinary number” of Opposition politicians have approached him to apologise after an attempt to gag him while he was speaking about in parliament last week.
Dreyfus, who is Jewish, was answering a question when Liberal MP Michael Sukkar moved that he no longer be heard.
Speaking to ABC Radio National on Thursday morning, Dreyfus said Opposition politicians had since contacted him to apologise.
But Dreyfus said he had not received an apology from Sukkar, and described the gag attempt as “extraordinary”.
“The gag is used very rarely in parliament to seek to gag the attorney-general,” he said.
“When I’m talking about a subject as serious as this and a subject as personal and as close to me as this was, was wrong.
“And I think that everyone in the Opposition realises that even if not all of them have had the courage or the good grace to apologise.”
Michael Sukkar moved a motion to gag Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus over speaking about antisemitism. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Sukkar told SBS News in a statement on Thursday that Dreyfus should apologise for comments he made about the Opposition in parliament.
“Mark Dreyfus was accusing the Opposition of politicising antisemitism, which is an outrageous smear,” he said.
“The Coalition will not put up with that kind of abuse in the parliament, particularly when it’s the Coalition that has shown Jewish Australians unwavering support since October 7.
“He should retract that smear against the Opposition and apologise for making such a terrible accusation.”
When asked on the ABC about balancing his role as attorney-general and being a member of the Jewish community, Dreyfus said he hoped he was “managing to balance those difficulties”.
“It is very personal, but so it is for every member of the Jewish community,” he said.
“And I think that Australians stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism and stand with the Jewish community in wanting to and wanting to say, never again.”
