Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 20, 2025. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley “felt sick” when watching a clip of neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell verbally attack Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan at a press conference on Sept. 2.
Ley warned of a dangerous rise in extremist activity and political intimidation.
“This sickness has to be removed,” she said on Sept. 3.
“We need to de-radicalise, de-escalate, work together as a society to tackle what I’m seeing as a troubling trend—an escalation in political violence,” she told Nine.
She added that she was worried by the increase in hatred and intimidation, and called on the government to do more to remove “this sickness.”
“This is not who we are as Australians. This is not the country that I migrated to as a teenager for a better chance at a life that has delivered so much,” she said
Allan, who was targeted during her press event, later said she was “unharmed and undeterred.” The incident has fuelled fresh debate about how Australia tackles extremism in public life.
Migration Debate Fuels Tensions
The incident comes just days after Australia’s capitals were swept by rallies driven by calls to slow down migration
