Opposition Leader Demands End to Opera House Protest Plans, Minister Apology for Triple-0 Failures
Sussan Ley calls demonstrations “counterproductive” as Jewish community marks second anniversary of October 7 attacks, slams Communications Minister over emergency response system breakdowns
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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley demanded today that protesters abandon plans to demonstrate at the Sydney Opera House next week, calling the gatherings “completely counterproductive” and rooted in “division and hatred” as the Jewish community prepares to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attacks that killed 1,200 people.
Speaking at the Royal Perth Show, Ley also called for Communications Minister Annika Wells to apologize to Australians over failures in the Triple-0 emergency call system and accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of abandoning healthcare funding commitments to states.
“They do come from a position of division and hatred, and that is not acceptable,” Ley said of the planned protests. “And it certainly isn’t acceptable for the Sydney Opera House to be used as a backdrop for protests.”
The comments come hours after New South Wales Police filed a Supreme Court objection blocking the Palestinian Action Group’s planned October 12 demonstration at the Opera House forecourt, citing crowd crush concerns with 10,000 expected attendees.
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Peace Deal on Table
Ley emphasized that protesters should redirect their energy toward supporting diplomatic efforts rather than demonstrations at iconic Australian landmarks.
“Everyone involved thinking of protesting should remember this. There is a US brokered peace plan on the table. It is our best chance of peace in this troubled region,” Ley said. “We all want to see the hostages released, the war end, humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza, and an enduring peace to be put in place.”
She argued the timing of protests near the October 7 anniversary shows insensitivity to Jewish Australians mourning what she described as “the greatest loss of life since the Holocaust after the events of October the 7th, 2023.”
“Our Opera House should be a place that brings people together, a place of unity, not division and not hate. Enough is enough,” Ley said.
The Opposition Leader extended her criticism to water-based protests, referencing six Australians detained after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters 60 to 70 miles off the coast.
“People who are protesting on the water need to focus very strongly on the peace deal that is on the table right now,” Ley said. “And the only hope of peace in the region is one brokered by the US with everyone at the table.”
Triple-0 System Failures
Ley launched a separate attack on Communications Minister Annika Wells over ongoing failures in Australia’s Triple-0 emergency call system, demanding an immediate apology and comprehensive accountability plan.
“What we need to see from this Minister is a plan that holds to account everyone, everywhere, telcos, regulator, her own government, inside the triple O ecosystem, finds out what went wrong,” Ley said.
She criticized Wells for writing an opinion piece in the Financial Review outlining future plans rather than addressing current failures.
“That’s really not good enough,” Ley said. “We also need the Communications Minister to offer Australians an apology.”
The Opposition Leader emphasized the stakes for Australians heading into summer bushfire and flood season.
“Australians who in 2025, not 1925, have every expectation that when they dial triple O in a life-saving, in an emergency situation, that somebody will be there to help them as we enter summer with fires, with floods, and who knows what events,” Ley said.
She demanded Wells explain why recommendations from a 2023 review addressing previous Triple-0 failures have not been implemented.
“It’s all happened before, have not been implemented. We expect an apology. We expect a plan. We expect a minister who steps up,” Ley said.
Ley also criticized Wells for traveling to New York during the crisis.
“While she’s at it, she could say sorry for travelling to New York on a jaunt when families were desperately concerned about the future of the triple O system,” Ley said.
Healthcare Funding Battle
The Opposition Leader accused Albanese of retreating from a 2023 commitment to provide state governments five-year healthcare funding agreements, creating uncertainty for hospital planning.
“I then see that the Prime Minister is crab walking away from a commitment he made in 2023 that he would give state governments ongoing certainty with five-year funding agreements,” Ley said.
She argued the funding uncertainty forces immediate calculations by state health systems about reducing services.
“If you’re a state government then you actually immediately have to make calculations about how much less operations on the elective surgery list, what you might have to do with hospital beds, what you might have to do with staffing,” Ley said.
Ley called on Western Australia Premier Roger Cook to leverage his relationship with Albanese to secure healthcare funding certainty.
“If Premier Cook is such a good friend of Anthony Albanese, and he tells everyone he is, he should be on the phone right now in the interest of the people of Western Australia on this very important issue,” Ley said.
Shadow Treasurer Basil Zempilas, appearing alongside Ley, criticized both federal and state Labor governments over hospital performance.
“There is a disconnect between Federal Labor and State Labor,” Zempilas said. “Roger Cook, who does claim to be a great mate of the Prime Minister’s, is either one time throwing him under the bus, or on the other hand saying, you’re not doing enough, we need more from you.”
Zempilas emphasized Western Australia’s economic strength should translate to better healthcare outcomes.
“In a state as prosperous as Western Australia, our health system and our hospitals should be much better than they are at the moment,” he said. “This is a failure to govern from Labor.”
He argued Cook must either secure additional federal funding or redirect state budget surpluses to healthcare.
“He either needs to sort out what money he’s getting from the federal government and argue for more and get it, or he needs to provide that funding himself,” Zempilas said. “This state is capable of providing for its own people when it comes to health and health care.”
Anti-Semitism Concerns
When asked whether sufficient measures are being taken to prevent Manchester-style attacks on Jewish institutions in Australia, Ley expressed frustration with federal government leadership.
“We’ve constantly argued and pushed and I felt a sense of frustration from time to time for leadership in this country to address what I see as a rising tide of anti-Semitic hatred,” Ley said.
She described conversations with Jewish Australians revealing deep anxiety about current security conditions.
“When I speak to Jewish Australians, as I frequently do, and I’ve spoken to them in Perth on previous visits to this state, I feel their sense of anxiety,” Ley said. “And I know that ordinary Australians believe that what they are experiencing right here, right now, is unacceptable.”
Ley provided a stark example of the security measures now required at Jewish institutions.
“When you have four-year-olds going to kindergarten and walking past gates that are locked and armed guards to make sure that four-year-olds are OK to walk in and have a day at kindergarten, then you know that things are not right,” she said.
She pledged continued pressure on the government.
“I will continue to hold this government to account and continue to insist that Prime Minister Albanese steps up and does more to demonstrate support, leadership and protection for our valuable Jewish community,” Ley said.
GST and Resources Policy
Addressing Western Australia-specific issues, Ley opposed Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ review of GST distribution arrangements.
“Jim Chalmers is reviewing the GST arrangements. We don’t think that’s appropriate. We have no plans to change them,” Ley said.
She criticized environmental approval delays under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, noting projects can wait up to 500 days for approvals.
“Projects awaiting final investment decision, and may not even go ahead, because the EPBC Act and its implementation by Labor governments is failing this state,” Ley said.
Ley highlighted Western Australia’s importance as a resources state and the national economic contributions from the sector.
Nuclear Energy Review
On energy policy, Ley confirmed the Coalition continues reviewing nuclear options as part of its broader energy strategy.
“We are listening and we understand everywhere we go how expensive energy is,” Ley said, explaining the review led by Dan Tehan focuses on two fundamentals.
“Stable, reliable energy that’s affordable for households and businesses and playing our part in reducing emissions. And those two things will underpin our policy going forward,” she said.
Tehan recently returned from the United States examining developments in micro-reactors and will update the party room next week.
“We know that 19 out of 20 OECD countries have either adopted or are in the process of adopting nuclear,” Ley said. “It’s very important for the future and we’ll continue to examine it closely.”
Detained Australians
Regarding the six Australians detained by Israel after the flotilla interception, Ley emphasized consular assistance obligations while maintaining her message about focusing on peace negotiations.
“We expect everyone who is Australian is detained to get the appropriate consular help. I want to make that point,” Ley said. “But in the same way that people who are considering protesting in Sydney this weekend, people who are protesting on the water need to focus very strongly on the peace deal that is on the table right now.”
The Opposition Leader’s multi-pronged attack encompasses foreign policy, domestic emergency services, healthcare funding and energy policy as parliament prepares to return to Canberra.
“That’s something we will be prosecuting when we return to Canberra, to continue to argue passionately for Australians, hard-working Australians, who do what they do in this state, which is to work hard, spend time away from their families, and add to the great prosperity of Western Australia,” Ley said.
The comments signal the Coalition’s intention to pursue accountability across multiple portfolios when parliamentary sessions resume, with particular focus on Triple-0 failures, healthcare funding uncertainty and security concerns facing Jewish Australians ahead of the October 7 anniversary.
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