The Coalition has announced a plan to tackle antisemitism and extremism in Australia, accusing the Albanese government of “more than a year of inaction and weakness”.
On Monday morning, Opposition leader Peter Dutton and Opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson issued a joint release outlining a series of policies they would introduce “from day one” if they win the next federal election.
on Friday. Politicians from both major parties and multicultural community representatives condemned the incident.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he believed the attack fulfilled the definition of terrorism. It has not been declared a terrorist attack by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) at the time of writing.
Dutton has described the arson attack as a “national disgrace”, and in Monday’s announcement, the Coalition vowed to take “decisive action”.
“The firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue on Friday morning is the sadly predictable outcome of Labor’s failure to heed the warnings of the Australian Jewish community and the Coalition,” the statement said.
“Stronger action and stronger national leadership could have prevented this.”
Around 60 firefighters and 17 trucks were called to the Adass Israel synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne’s south in the early hours on Friday after a large blaze engulfed the building. Source: AAP / Con Chronis
Nasser Mashni, president of the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network (APAN), also condemned the attack on the synagogue.
“Our movement has no room for them, our movement has no room for hate,” he said at a rally over the weekend.
“If you’ve got any hate in body, you do not belong here, we condemn that act, and we stand here with our brothers and sisters who are Jewish and who show up every single week … we stand in solidarity with them.”
In a statement, the APAN said such acts of violence fuel broader hate.
“Racist attacks on religious institutions — whether a synagogue, mosque, church or any place of worship — are unacceptable, whether in our local communities or anywhere in the world,” the statement said.
“We must oppose, in equal measure, any attack rooted in racism, antisemitism, islamophobia, or anti-Palestinian racism.”
What is in Peter Dutton’s antisemitism plan?
The Coalition’s antisemitism and extremism plan involves a series of new policy measures, including a dedicated taskforce led by the AFP.
It would also issue a new ministerial direction to the AFP to prioritise addressing antisemitism, including any complaints or unsolved crimes against the Jewish community since 7 October 2023.
The taskforce would be directed to refer any visa holders involved in acts of antisemitism for “immediate cancellation and deportation”.
Section 501 character provisions of the Migration Act would also be amended to ensure antisemitic conduct is captured by the law and applied retrospectively for “all acts of hatred towards the Jewish community” since 7 October 2023.
It would also deliver the $32.5 million security funding requested by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, a national body representing the Australian Jewish community, “without any strings attached”, including funding armed guards and schools and synagogues.
“We must send a message as a country that actions have consequences. For too long, the rise of vile antisemitism in our country has been allowed to fester, and, if such behaviour continues to be tolerated, it will only get worse,” the statement released by Dutton and Paterson said.
“We need to say enough is enough.”
‘A time for unity’
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is Jewish, defended Albanese and said it was “not a time for partisan bickering” or seeking “party advantage”.
“I’ve experienced levels of antisemitism, as has every Australian Jew, like we have never experienced it before in our lives,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“I’ve never experienced the kind of vile, antisemitic hate speech that’s been directed at my colleagues, at me, simply because I am a Jew. Now, that’s got to stop. And it’s not a time for finger-pointing, it’s not a time for cheap criticisms like we’ve seen from Mr Dutton. It’s a time for unity.”
Josh Burns, Member for Macnamara in inner-city Melbourne, who is also Jewish and whose electorate is home to the Adass Israel synagogue, responded to personal criticism from Dutton on Monday morning. earlier this year.
Dutton had said Burns had failed to speak up about antisemitism in the community.
“This has been my life, my world, my community. My office was attacked. I’ve spent every day working as hard as I can with my community and standing up for them,” Burns said.
“It doesn’t serve the Jewish community to be arguing amongst ourselves. It doesn’t serve the Jewish community to be fighting amongst the political class. Peter Dutton can say whatever he likes about me. I honestly couldn’t care less. I’m interested in supporting my community.”
