Greens leader David Shoebridge accused of prejudice over Jewish community comments

New Greens leader David Shoebridge has been criticised by Labor MP Josh Burns for comments he made about the Jewish community. Mr Burns accused Senator Shoebridge of "prejudice" for singling out Jewish Australians who share his party's views on Gaza.

Criticism of Shoebridge's comments

Macnamara MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, said he found the comments by Senator Shoebridge "pretty shocking" and argued people should not be "judged" on whether they agreed with the Greens leader or not.

"The Jewish community should not be put into categories of good and bad based on their views of what is happening in the Middle East; that is not progressive leadership," he said.

"That's prejudice," Mr Burns added.

Mr Burns acknowledged Senator Shoebridge had not said there were "good" or bad Jewish people, but argued the Greens leader's "instinct" had been to "isolate" members of the community.

Shoebridge's response

Senator Shoebridge had been asked if he would "mend the bridges" between his party and the local Jewish community. He rejected the premise of the question, saying the Greens had "really strong connections" with "much of the Australian Jewish community".

"[We are] working alongside Jewish Australians who are fighting genocide, who are speaking up for core values that they hold dear," he said.

"And we will continue to champion their voices, to be solid allies with them," Senator Shoebridge added.

Burns' warning

But Mr Burns said Senator Shoebridge should "reflect" on his answer and suggested public statements like that would "send chills up the spines of many people in the Jewish community".

"Coming from the progressive side of politics, who is meant to be inclusive, I would say that is anything but," he said.

A spokesperson for Senator Shoebridge said the original question was asked "by a News Corp journalist that even they didn't see fit to publish".

Reaction from Albanese

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today he was looking forward to "constructive engagement" with the new Greens team but said their criticism of Labor was "somewhat concerning".

"I'm a Labor loyalist, we are a party of government, not a party of protest, and that's the difference," he said.

Greens leadership

Senator Shoebridge was elected as the new Greens leader after a contested ballot. He will lead the party alongside Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May as deputy.