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“We were speaking with a family on the way in who have been the subject of one of these attacks. They’re an Australian family. They’ve lived in the same house for 60 years.… An attack on a Jewish family or an attack on any family is an attack on all of us.”
The Coalition has sought to make Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response to the surge in attacks on Jewish sites as a test of his leadership, repeatedly calling on Labor to convene a national cabinet meeting on antisemitism. The opposition has been one of the most pro-Israel centre-right political parties in comparable nations, rarely criticising the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Albanese has not agreed to a national cabinet but met with the leaders of Victoria and NSW last week to discuss the issue. The government has defended its record by pointing to its appointment of an envoy against antisemitism and laws to criminalise doxxing and the Nazi salute.
On Monday, NSW Premier Chris Minns is planning to strengthen state hate speech laws within weeks and outlaw protests outside places of worship.
Declaring he was increasingly of the view that hate speech was the “initial spark” of brazen antisemitism, NSW Premier Chris Minns said Labor had made the “difficult decision” to table tougher – and potentially contentious – legislation when parliament resumes next month.
“Our government is going to … strengthen laws, so that if someone’s preaching hatred in the community, it doesn’t manifest itself two or three months later in a firebombing, an attack or something worse,” Minns said. “No stone will be left unturned.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen in late December flagged a blanket ban on symbols and flags of listed terrorist organisations – including Hamas, Hezbollah and white nationalist groups – which extend beyond existing restrictions in federal counter-terrorism laws. Victoria will also prohibit protests outside places of worship.
Dutton suggested Albanese knew the gravity of the moment warranted a national cabinet meeting but was rejecting the proposal out of personal pride.
Albanese said on Monday that he had forcefully condemned antisemitic acts.
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“We certainly need to lower the temperature here in Australia, but we certainly welcome the release of these hostages under the ceasefire deal,” Albanese said on ABC Radio Sydney.
“Antisemitism has been horrific, something that needs to be stamped out. These instances of hate that we have seen aimed at the Jewish community are crimes and they should be prosecuted to the full and the full force of the law brought to bear on those who engaged in these crimes.”
The Australian Federal Police launched Operation Avelite late last year to clamp down on antisemitic statements and acts. Last week the taskforce, which includes 21 officers, made its first arrest: a western Sydney man charged with using social media to threaten to kill Jewish community leaders.
Special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal last week called on police forces to do more to enforce existing laws to combat violence and intimidation towards Jews, arguing that political condemnation, while welcome, was insufficient.
Charges have not yet been over a number of high-profile incidents including the burning of cars and graffiti at the former Sydney home of Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin, the vandalism and attempted arson of a Sydney synagogue and the burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne.