- by Marcus Browning
- The Guardian
- Issue #2135
Khaled Sabsabi, Co-existence, 2009, MCA. Photo: Jenni Carter
A rich-list of Jewish business and finance moneybags has rallied around former Coalition federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, to “raise millions to fight antisemitism.” Frydenberg, currently chair of Goldman Sachs, is the face of a foundation to be set up to spread the good word about Israel into schools and universities: presumably how its “right to exist” allows it to murder 60,000 defenceless Palestinians, its most heinous crime to date in a long list.
Members of the board of the foundation include such corporate types as former Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, and Reserve Bank board member Elana Rubin. Venture capitalist Paul Bassat – whose mother is on the board – has already created a $US20 million fund named Iron Nation to support Israeli start-ups during its war on Gaza. Similar foundations in the US have already raised hundreds of millions in support.
Here is the money pot of the Israel lobby. Though most are Jewish, it is not their religion that forms the strongest ties between them; for them it is their elevated positions of power as members of the ruling class. The creation of this body is intended to put an official stamp on the propaganda line being run that makes out that Jews are a persecuted minority in Australia, an impression the white noise around antisemitism seeks to convey. This is simply not true.
The Israel lobby, their bullies and character assassins are out there with the support of both major parties, shutting down criticism of Israel, including forcing the closure of cultural events and attacks on the works of university academics.
So it was that, after a political and media beatup last month, the Albanese government, on behalf of the Israel lobby, had the government’s industry funding body Creative Australia dump a team of two artists chosen to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale because their art uses images of conflict in the Middle East and its wider consequences, including the planes flying into the Twin Towers in 2001. It also has footage of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel in 2024.
The dumping followed the art works being raised in federal parliament; the decision by the Creative Australia board was taken without the artist or program director being present. Artist and Creative Australia board member Lindy Lee resigned, as did other board members, Lee saying, “I could not live with the level of violation I felt against one of my core values, that the artist’s voice must never be silenced.”
In a convoluted statement, Creative Australia said the works of the artists – Michael Dagostino and Khaled Sabsabi – would cause “prolonged and divisive debate about the 2026 selection outcome [and] pose an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia’s artistic community and could undermine our goal of bringing Australians together through art and creativity.” Come again?
In response, the National Association for the Visual Arts pulled no punches. Executive director Penelope Benton said: “This is a devastating and terrifying moment for artistic freedom in Australia. The decision to retract support from an artist of Sabsabi’s calibre in response to political and media pressure is an attack on arms-length arts funding and the independence of the arts sector.
“This is not just about one artist or one exhibition; it is about whether Australia upholds the right of artists to critically engage with history, politics, and the urgent issues of our time.
“The role of the artist is to challenge, provoke, and offer new ways of seeing. The government’s intervention in this process is an outrageous over-reach that threatens the very foundation of independent arts funding.”
The union representing artists, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, has called on artistic and creative organisations across Australia to reaffirm their commitment to freedom of expression following a series of interventions over the past 12 months which have resulted in artists being silenced or sidelined.
The union notes that “the latest case of the cancellation of Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale continues a disturbing trend of political interference in the arts.”
“The MEAA stands in solidarity with all Australians calling for the respectful treatment of all artists and the creative workforce and condemns political and industrial interference with rightful free speech and expression. The arts and freedom of expression are closely intertwined, and that relationship is essential to the creation of art in all its forms,” said MEAA Chief Executive Erin Madeley.
“Art sheds critical light on our society and must challenge preconceptions, even if that makes some people uncomfortable. Any interference which seeks to prevent this must be unreservedly condemned.
“This is an industrial and workplace issue – one that goes to the very heart of the rights of artists not only as creators, but as workers.”
MEAA is concerned about the way in which Sabsabi was dumped by Creative Australia just days after he was announced as Australia’s representative for the prestigious Venice Biennale.
“The review which has been announced by Creative Australia must fully examine not only the selection process for the Biennale, but the circumstances that led to the decision to drop Sabsabi, including whether there was any political interference,” said Madeley.
“The outcome of the review must be released publicly to ensure full transparency and accountability.”
In the university sector, the National Tertiary Education Union has long campaigned for an end to political interference in research grants. In a significant victory for the NTEU and others across the sector who fought for change, last year the federal government removed ministerial veto of grants and established an independent board to make decisions about grants.
This legislation was a positive step for independent research after the blatant politicisation of the grants process under the previous Coalition government.
Recent commentary around a review of a research grant held by Macquarie University Academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has raised serious concerns.
The NTEU has sought assurances from Australian Research Centre Chair Professor Peter Shergold that this process will not be influenced by external forces, including media corporations, declaring that the independence of the ARC is paramount and neither politicians nor any other external parties should be directing its priorities.
“Australia’s future will suffer if research grants become political footballs. The union wants to ensure the ARC’s engagement with Macquarie over Dr Abdel-Fattah is subject to the highest levels of integrity, independence and fairness. We have sought assurances that this process will not be, and has not been, influenced by any external parties.”
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) stands firmly with Palestinian author and academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah in the face of a coordinated political and media campaign aimed at silencing, smearing and discrediting her for speaking out against ongoing US-backed Israeli atrocities in Palestine.
This attack is part of a broader effort to crush political opposition in Australia to Israeli genocide and apartheid in Palestine, mirroring similar repressive efforts in the US, where both the Trump and Biden administrations have sought to criminalise anti-genocide demonstrations and suppress opposition to Israeli war crimes.
APAN says the latest offensive against Dr Abdel-Fattah has been spearheaded by the Murdoch media and supported by Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, who has abandoned any pretence of ending political interference in the research sector and the operations of the ARC.
Minister Clare’s request for an investigation into Dr Abdel-Fattah’s ARC Future Fellowship, as well as his previous pressure on the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to “enforce its code of conduct” following an anti-racist symposium – after which Carumba Institute’s Director, Professor Chelsea Watego and Jewish Council of Australia executive officer Sarah Schwartz were also attacked and smeared by political leaders and the media – directly contradicts his promises to uphold the integrity and independence of Australian research.
“The ARC has bowed to this external pressure and has directed Macquarie University to launch an investigation into Dr Abdel-Fattah, despite her distinguished academic record and significant contributions to literature, anti-racism and Islamophobia scholarship and sociology,” says APAN.
“This investigation is clearly based purely on the egregious lies sourced from a blatantly politically motivated smear campaign driven by right-wing politicians and extremist organisations.
“These are racist and cynical attempts by government, media and university administrations to suppress political thought and academic freedom by conflating anti-genocide and anti-apartheid advocacy with ‘hate speech’ or anti-semitism.
“Universities are being used as a key battleground to try to punish Palestinians, and those who speak up for Palestine.
“We demand that Education Minister Clare, the Australian government, the media, and universities cease their efforts to silence dissent and stand for the rights of Palestinians, upholding academic freedom and truth in the struggle for justice and an end to Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and settler colonisation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Every academic, writer and citizen who values intellectual freedom and human rights should take a stand against this escalating repression of Palestinians and their supporters on this continent.
“Speaking the truth about Israel’s genocide, apartheid, illegal occupation, and the impunity it is offered by its allies, including Australia, is a legitimate and necessary act of resistance against injustice, not an endorsement of hate.”
