2GB Morning Show with Mark Levy
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Topics: Royal Commission into antisemitism, Chris Bowen’s COP, Tony Burke NPC
E&OE.......................
MARK LEVY: I wanted to catch up with Dave Sharma this morning because there's a whole lot of political news happening at the moment. We've got the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. To the news, the government abruptly pulled the plug on its immigration overhaul because it couldn't finalise key details in time. Of course, Tony Burke was forced to cancel a major announcement today at the National Press Club. And then there's Chris Bowen burning through over $345,000 in taxpayer funds travelling the world to preach net zero. While boasting about Australia's green achievements. Let's catch up with the Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Dave Sharma, on the line. Senator, good morning to you.
DAVE SHARMA: Good morning, Mark. Great to join you.
MARK LEVY: Nice to catch up. I wanted to start off with the Royal Commission. I'll play you something that Jonathan Greenblatt said to me yesterday, a very impressive man from the United States. But I've made a fairly strong position and fairly strong case that Some of the questioning that was put to David Osip this week was nothing short of disgraceful, given that the Commissioner Virginia Bell allowed the pro-Palestine legal team, their mob, to virtually question Mr. Ossip, the President of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, about the role of the Israeli government in Gaza. Now, the point I made and the question I asked is, what's that got to do with David Osip? What did you make of the line of questioning that was put to Mr. Ossip earlier this week?
DAVE SHARMA: I found it bizarre, Mark, and I was very troubled that it was allowed to happen. I mean, this Palestine Action Group, the lawyers who were representing them who are asking these questions, this is the same group that organized those Opera House protests on the 9th of October. As far as I'm concerned, they should be in the dock answering questions. They certainly shouldn't be asking the questions. And as you point out, I mean, David Osip is not a representative of the state of Israel. This Royal Commission is about harassment and discrimination and attacks against Jews in Australia. It's not about the conduct of Israel overseas, and how the Royal Commission was hijacked to delve into that, I think, I just find completely perplexing.
MARK LEVY: And let's not forget that this Palestine Action Group are responsible for some of these vile protests on the streets of our capital cities, namely here in Sydney, where the most disgraceful things have been chanted, like globalize the intifada, which takes me to something that Jonathan Greenblatt said to me yesterday, a very impressive man, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League in the United States and someone who is fighting antisemitism around the world. Senator, I just wanted to play to you something he said about these protesters from the Palestine Action Group, and I'll get your response off the back. Here he is.
[CLIP STARTS]
JONATHAN GREENBLATT: We do ourselves a disservice when we call them pro-Palestine. They are certainly anti-Israel, but they're really pro-hate. They are pro-violence. They are pro-genocide. Because what happened on October 7th, the savagery, the rape, the murder, the wholesale slaughter of children and the elderly and the disabled, there is no excuse for it. And so these quote unquote protesters, they're not really protesters. Literally, they're antagonists. They are provocateurs. They are looking to create an environment where violence is normalized and where antisemitism is institutionalized and it's depraved. And again, it starts with the Jews. It never ends with the Jews. So I think that's something that the audience needs to realize why this is such a tremendous threat.
[CLIP ENDS]
MARK LEVY: It's so powerful, Senator Sharma. And We can't forget that what fueled the antisemitism was that protest on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
DAVE SHARMA: You're quite right. Look, Jonathan Greenblatt's a very capable and talented individual, and he makes some very good points there. But you're right, when did antisemitism resurface in Australia in such a pronounced way? It was after the October 9th protests. And we know that those protests weren't pro-Palestine protests. They were glorifying and eulogizing, if you like, a terrorist, a horrible terrorist massacre that's committed by Hamas. And those protesters were out celebrating it. This wasn't about civil rights of Palestinians. This is about death to Jews and sexual assault of Jews and the murder of young Jews at a music festival. That's what this protest is all about. And I think, too often, as Jonathan Greenblatt says, we write these people off as sort of they're just political activists. Well, no, they're actually in many instances calling for the destruction of an entire people or an entire nation.
MARK LEVY: And then the Royal Commissioner herself, Virginia Bell, trying to defend the decision to allow that line of questioning, Dave. I mean, the Commissioner was trying to— I think she used the word context. Context in relation to the number of people who were murdered and raped in Israel in the Hamas attacks. And she attempted to say, oh, the pro-Palestine or the Palestine Action Group legal team was allowed to ask David Ossip for context. What?
DAVE SHARMA: Well, it seemed very strange. I mean, you know, I don't want to disrespect the judicial officers of our Commonwealth, but she seemed to hinge it upon one paragraph in David Osip's quite long statement to the Royal Commission, or quite long submission, paragraph 51, I think, where he referenced the fact that at the time the 9th of October Opera House protests had happened, Israel had not yet started to respond. And on the back of that, this Palestine Action Group seemed to be allowed to cross-examine David Ossip for close to an hour about Israel's conduct. It seemed very disproportionate. And to me, it allowed the Royal Commission to focus or venture well outside what its jurisdiction and its terrain is. It's not there to say, did Israel— how did Israel conduct this war? There to examine the causes of antisemitism in Australia.
MARK LEVY: Yeah, and we'll wait and see what the final recommendations are, of course, expected by the end of the year. While I've got you, Senator, a couple of other issues. Tony Burke's delayed his speech to the National Press Club that was supposed to be happening today around immigration. He looks like he's been spooked by the outrage at the moment across Australia that we're allowing too many people into this country and our infrastructure, our hospitals simply can't keep up, housing as well, as he's been spooked by some of the rhetoric out there at the moment and some of the anger and frustration from Australians who are already living in this country?
DAVE SHARMA: Well, I think they're recognising that that there is a problem, that migration numbers have been too high for too long. But I think they're finding it politically difficult to settle on a solution. I mean, the Coalition solution is we're going to make sure that migration numbers are linked to housing completions. To take pressure off our infrastructure. But I don't think— I mean, Labor seems to be very internally divided over this, and the reason he's not giving his speech, I think, is because he couldn't get the sign-off of his Labor colleagues on, I guess, what are proposed cuts. And that's very troubling that they're so politically attracted to high migration that they're not prepared to do what's in Australia's national interest.
MARK LEVY: I think you're right, and I think it's also the rise and rise of One Nation that's got them spooked as well. You know, they never used to mention One Nation, Dave, and I know Your side of politics is also fighting the rise of One Nation, but you look at some of the comments that were made at that Labor conference recently in Adelaide, and One Nation has become a real thorn in their side, this government.
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I think it has, but I also think they've got a political interest to try and portray the election contest as between themselves and One Nation to sort of shore up their own base and support. But I think this coming contests, I mean, it'll be the same in Victoria and then New South Wales and federally will predominantly be between Labor and Liberal, the traditional parties of government. Yes, One Nation looks like it'll take a significant share of the vote, but I don't think anyone really expects One Nation to be forming government. So I think some of this Labor sort of messaging here is about their own political positioning, I think.
MARK LEVY: On to Chris Bowen now. We spent the first hour, Senator, having a chat about Chris Bowen and his speech at the Press Club and some of the answers he offered up. We pick up The Telegraph today; he's billed taxpayers $345,000 for global travel while everyday Australians struggle under soaring power bills. Is he just feathering his nest for what's to come post-politics here, Senator?
DAVE SHARMA: Well, he seems to be trying to set himself up for some sort of UN career or international role, you know, being as many Labor states people have done over the years, or many Labor politicians. I think he should focus on this job at hand though. I mean, you know, he famously promised that Power prices would be $275 lower under this government, and power prices have gone up, of course. So, you know, I think he should focus on what his job is, which is serving Australians, not glad-handling on the international circuit.
MARK LEVY: Yeah, madness. Hey, great to catch up as always, Dave. Thank you for what you certainly have been saying in relation to the Royal Commission and also the need to call out this hatred in our community, which sadly has not gone away post the terror attack at Bondi. I'll continue to use my platform to call it out as well. You're a good man. Thanks for joining us.
DAVE SHARMA: Thanks so much, Mark.
MARK LEVY: There he is, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
[ENDS]