Half the Jewish organisations asking for security funding will miss out

New federal security grants will cover less than half of security costs sought by eligible Jewish organisations, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has warned. 

The Federal Government has allocated $40 million annually for Jewish community security over the next three years. But the current round of the Strengthening Community Safety – Enhancing Security for Jewish Communities program has received applications totalling approximately $88 million from 187 Jewish organisations.

The scale of demand represents a significant increase in pressure on security resources. ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim described the growth in requests since the Bondi attack as “very significant”. 

Wertheim said the assessment process would prioritise applications based on the level of security risk and the benefit to the broader community, aiming to ensure “the highest-priority security risks are addressed within the available funding”.

Wertheim said organisations should “work with the Community Security Groups (CSGs), the ECAJ and the State and Territory roof bodies to help them make the funds go as far as possible”.

Wertheim said private donors could help meet the remaining costs, but could not be expected to cover such a significant shortfall. 

“Private donors have always contributed, but the level of need is well beyond their financial capacity,” he said. “Ensuring the safety and security of all citizens is the primary duty of governments.”

The security funding forms part of a $604 million package announced in response to the Bondi attack, half of which is directed to Jewish community support.