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Federal politics live: Former spy boss says ‘ball was dropped’ in Australia following October 7 attacksBy political reporter Courtney Gould

Posted Wed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:07amWed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:07amWed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:07amSkip to timeline

A former spy boss says “the ball was dropped” following the October 7 attacks and Australia needs to draw a clearer line on what is deemed acceptable amid the rise in antisemitism.

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Wed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:13amWed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:13am

‘Open discussion’ needed on extremist Islamists, Richardson says

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By Courtney Gould

Former spy boss Dennis Richardson is also calling for an open discussion about the role of extremist Islamists in promoting antisemitism in a way that does not make Australian Muslims feel targeted.

“There is a real risk that Muslims as whole feel under pressure. Equally, if you don’t have that discussion, you play into the hands of extremists at the other end of the spectrum,” he says.

Richardson says the way to do have that discussion is to have “Muslim leaders at the centre”.

Wed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:09amWed 16 Sep 2026 at 7:09am

Former spy boss says ‘ball was dropped’ following October 7

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By Courtney Gould

Former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson says “the ball was dropped” following the October 7 attacks.

Richardson, who quit his role as a special adviser to the antisemitism royal commission in March, made the remarks at speech to the Lowy Institute last night.

Speaking this morning with ABC’s Radio National, Richardson says society “broadly’ was responsible.

“I think some things that were said and done were not picked up by the media in the way they should have been, certainly by all the media. And I think some aspects of the political leadership were wanting too, but it would be wrong to focus on particular people,” he says.

Asked what in particular he was calling out, Richardson referred to remarks made by an Islamic preacher online that were only picked up by the media when Jewish leaders took the issue to the federal court.

“They were not picked up more broadly in the media and they should have been, should have been highlighted and should have been condemned,” he says.

Wed 16 Sep 2026 at 6:53amWed 16 Sep 2026 at 6:53am

Good morning 👋

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By Courtney Gould

Hi friends. Welcome to our politics live blog. I’m Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.

Expect there to be a lot of reaction after leaked documents revealed the government was considering imposing an opt-out model where artists’ works would automatically be available to AI companies unless creators took steps to block or remove them.

A speech former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson gave last night, where he claimed “the ball was dropped” following the October 7 attacks, is also getting attention this morning.

Lets jump straight into it.