Anthony Albanese's Christmas Day chat with a radio host took a dramatic turn after the Prime Minister was questioned over footage of him at a pro-Palestine rally.
Broadcasting live from the Uniting Church in Ashfield, Sydney's inner west, Albanese began by praising volunteers, calling them 'the spirit of Australia' for their work providing lunch and festive cheer to those in need.
'It's uplifting to be here in my local electorate,' he said.
'Here you have volunteers providing Christmas lunch and cheer... acts of kindness, generosity and compassion, and that's what Australia is about.'
But the conversation quickly became tense when host Susie Elelman challenged Albanese over counterterrorism in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre.
'Why weren't [Tactical Assault Group East] deployed at Bondi to support our understaffed and under-resourced police last Saturday week?' she asked.
'I am not about to get into second-guessing our security forces... They work very closely with New South Wales Police to do their best, and it is important that there not be a politicisation of that,' Albanese responded.
Elelman pressed again, questioning whether Australia should follow France by deploying soldiers to major landmarks during events like New Year's Eve.
'The Australian Federal Police work as part of the counterterrorism task force... They'll continue to do so, including examining these special events and what's required,' Albanese said.
The interview became heated after Elelman cited online footage showing Albanese speaking into a megaphone at an anti-Israel rally in Sydney's CBD in 2000.
In the clip, Albanese is heard accusing Israel of using tanks and missiles against 'children throwing rocks'.
'Is that fake news? Is it you or a doppelganger?' Elelman asked.
Albanese said he could not respond without seeing the footage himself.
'I have no idea... You're not showing me something, so I'm not going to comment on something that you are not showing me with respect,' he said.
'I have been concerned about a range of issues in the Middle East over a long period of time, but I've always been a supporter of two states.'
'I have consistently supported the state of Israel's right to exist within secure borders, but also the rights of Palestinians.'
Elelman's final question raised claims that Wilson Security, a company with Chinese ownership links, was hired to guard Australian military bases over the holidays.
Albanese declined to confirm or deny the contract, instead taking the opportunity to praise Australia's armed forces.
'Today is a day in which what we should be doing is giving praise and thanks to those men and women who wear our uniform each and every day... including Christmas Day,' he responded.
The interview ended soon after.
'I think that's going to be the last time I'll get to speak to the Prime Minister on a Christmas Day,' Elelman remarked.
Speaking to Jason Morrison on 2GB on Boxing Day, Elelman defended her approach to the heated interview with Albanese.
'Normally, I'd say "Merry Christmas, how are you doing? What'd you get for Christmas?" And we'd ease into a nice interview,' she said.
'But I had something important to say.'
She told Morrison she began by sharing her personal connection to the topic.
'I opened it up by saying to him that, as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor whose business was subjected to vandalism and graffiti with swastikas, I had more important things I'd like to discuss with him in the short time we had,' she said.
'Was that wrong? I mean, seriously, if it hadn’t happened on the first night of Hanukkah, if it had happened on Christmas Eve, would we be having the same criticism?'