JNS
The move follows criticism that authorities are not doing enough to curb antisemitic attacks.
Following a series of major antisemitic incidents, Australia's parliament enacted on Thursday stringent laws to address hate crimes, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for terrorism offenses and the display of hate symbols.
The legislation passed in amendments to the penal code increases penalties for hate crimes, mandating a minimum six-year prison sentence for terrorism offenses and at least 12 months for less severe hate crimes, including performing a Hitler salute. Those found guilty of financing terrorism will face three years in prison.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed the new laws, calling them a "powerful message" of zero tolerance to potential perpetrators of these offenses,” said ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim in a statement.
“We have seen too many examples of such behavior going unpunished,” he added. The new law means that judges’ discretion “will need to be exercised within parameters that reflect community expectations and standards.”
The law establishes new offenses for threatening violence or force against individuals or groups based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion or ethnicity.
The legislation was proposed last year by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government in response to a rise in antisemitic attacks and growing demands for harsher punishments, Sky News Australia reported.
At the time, the draft legislation did not include mandatory sentencing, which Albanese had previously strongly opposed. However, this week, the government conceded on the point following criticism from Albanese’s political opponents that he was not doing enough to counter antisemitism.
Many among Australia’s Jewish population of about 115,000 are feeling uneasy following a series of antisemitic attacks in the country’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne—including arson attacks on synagogues and a childcare center, as well as swastikas defacing buildings and vehicles.
In late January, authorities reported foiling a potential “mass casualty” attack after discovering a trailer loaded with explosives in northwest Sydney, with “some indications” it was intended to target the Jewish community.
Authorities are investigating more than a dozen “serious allegations” among more than 166 reports of antisemitic attacks received since mid-December, when police launched a special operation to curb antisemitic attacks.
Police said they are expanding their probe beyond direct suspects to “overseas actors” who may have financed the crimes.
