A week of fighting Australia’s antisemitism crisis

The antisemitic attack on a childcare centre in Maroubra on Monday night shocked Australians, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call a national cabinet to discuss antisemitism.

Police and politicians who have previously declined to discuss investigations felt compelled to speak out, arrests were made and a new tracking system established.

In a week in which antisemitism has been constantly on the front pages, here are the key events in an ongoing battle.

New National Database to track antisemitic crime

After the National Cabinet held on Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a National Database to track antisemitic crime. The initiative will co-ordinate data from state and federal police forces and governments.

Antisemitism is currently investigated through several jurisdiction-specific taskforces and operations: Australian Federal Police's antisemitism taskforce Operation Avalite; NSW's Strike Force Pearl, which investigates hate crime with a focus on antisemitism; NSW Police's Operation Shelter, which provides Jewish community security; Victoria's Operation Park, which co-ordinates the investigation of offences associated with the Middle East conflict.

Federal police investigating overseas involvement

Australian authorities are investigating whether “criminals for hire” have committed a series of antisemitic attacks, allegedly paid in cryptocurrency by overseas groups to firebomb buildings and spread fear among Jewish Australians. Evidence suggests that organised crime may be involved.

“We believe criminals for hire may be behind some incidents, so part of our inquiries includes identifying who is paying these criminals, where those people are, whether they are in Australia or offshore, and what their motivation is,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said on Wednesday.

Kershaw said a major obstacle to inquiries was tracking payments in cryptocurrency.

Police release complaint and arrest data

Since AFP Operation Avalite was established in late December, the antisemitism task force has received 166 reports of antisemitism, with 15 under investigation. One person has been arrested, a Western Sydney man charged with making death threats to members of a Jewish organisation.

Under New South Wales' Strike Force Pearl, established in December 2024, there have been nine arrests:

Another 36 people have been charged with unspecified "antisemitic-related offences," including eight people charged with 59 offences.

Under Operation Park in Victoria, established in October 2023, 70 arrests have been made, most in late 2023.

There has yet to be an arrest in relation to the worst antisemitic attack in Australian history, the firebombing of Adass Israel synagogue in December.

PM denies relationship between antisemitism and Australia's Mideast policy

In an interview on ABC Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied any connection between Australia's changing UN votes on Palestine and the growth of antisemitism in Australia.

"These are hate crimes and we shouldn't deny the agency of the perpetrators of these crimes. And that's what suggesting that Australia's policy at the United Nations, where we've voted along with 158 countries for what is happening now, a ceasefire, hostages being released and increased aid into Gaza.

"It is important to recognise that that is overwhelmingly where the world has been, including all of our Five Eyes partners, with the exception of the United States, for some period of time. These are criminal activities," he said.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel this week accused the Albanese government of fuelling violence against Australia’s Jewish community with its Mideast policy, an accusation also made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the terror attack on the Adass Israel synagogue.

“Obviously, the attitude of the current Australian government towards Israel is inflaming a lot of these emotions and giving, I guess, some acceptance when you do not fight it,” MK Haskel said in an interview with the ABC.

Tougher hate speech laws to go to parliament in February

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said introducing criminal penalties for hate speech will be a major priority when parliament resumes in February.

Dreyfus’s proposal would criminalise threatening violence against racial or religious groups, as well as threats motivated by gender identity or sexual orientation. However, it would stop short of outlawing vilification and ridicule, thereby avoiding some of the more contentious free speech debates.

Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said this week that the opposition wanted to collaborate with the government to pass hate speech laws. She also called on the government to strengthen the legislation by criminalising the urging or threatening of attacks against places of worship.

In New South Wales, Premier Chris Minns has also indicated changes to hate speech laws will be sought during the first sitting week in February. Minns suggested that an amendment could lead to NSW making vilification a criminal, rather than a civil, offence with associated civil penalties.

Critics have accused the New South Wales government of disregarding its 2024 review into hate speech laws. The NSW Council for Civil Liberties warned that the government risks making “reactionary” legislative decisions and emphasised that “you cannot arrest your way into social cohesion.”

Antisemitism complaint at ANU rejected

An investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the Australian National University found no grounds to punish a student who was recorded making an apparent Nazi salute. May 2024 footage from an online meeting hosted by the ANU Students’ Association shows a student seemingly performing a Nazi salute and another appearing to use their finger to mimic a Hitler moustache.

University campuses remain major antisemitism battlegrounds. The University of Sydney has introduced policies to limit protests and political activity in the new academic year. Two Sydney University academics Nick Riemer and John Keane are facing complaints of antisemitism at the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) after posts supporting Hamas and, implicitly, the October 7 massacre.

Joint statement from Muslim, Jewish organisations

The Jewish Council of Australia, has joined with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, the Australian National Imams Council, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights Law Centre, and Amnesty International to condemn recent antisemitic attacks, grouping them with Islamophobic hate crimes.

“These attacks follow a year of escalating hate crimes against the Jewish community and the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in Australia. While these attacks and racist incidents should be abhorrent to all Australians, they are particularly frightening to the country’s Jewish, Islamic, Arab, and Palestinian communities. All people have a right to freely practise their religion and express their political views without fear of violence, racial discrimination, hatred, and vilification,” they said in a joint statement.

The organisations called on governments to support anti-racism community initiatives, education, and dialogue to address acts of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism in Australia.

READ MORE

Analysis: Anthony Albanese might have crumbled on a national cabinet meeting on anti-Semitism, but it's not an easy fix (ABC)

Analysis: Anthony Albanese has pledged action on antisemitism – but Peter Dutton is still setting the agenda (The Guardian)

The series of anti-Semitic attacks that have shocked Sydney (ABC)

Pro-Palestine protests are intimidating Jews. Moving them doesn’t harm anyone (SMH, paywall)

LISTEN: What makes an anti-Semitic attack terrorism? (ABC)

‘Big breakthrough’: Man charged over antisemitic attack on Sydney synagogue (SMH, paywall)

Meeting of National Cabinet (OPM)

Radio interview: Prime Minister on ABC Sydney (OPM)