Upping the ante: Dutton wants to send more antisemites to jail for longer

Peter Dutton has vowed to make antisemitic offences punishable with mandatory minimum jail terms if he becomes prime minister this year.

The Opposition Leader wants to impose a sentencing regimen that would see a minimum six-year term of imprisonment for anyone convicted of antisemite acts of terrorism under Commonwealth law.

He would also introduce mandatory minimum sentences of 12 months’ jail for the public display of prohibited Nazi symbols, prohibited terrorist organisation symbols, and giving the Nazi salute in public – and increase the maximum penalty to five years’ jail for such offences.

Mr Dutton wants also to amend draft laws currently before Federal Parliament to make it a hate crime to urge or threaten violence towards a place of worship and make it punishable by five years’ jail, or seven years in the case of an aggravated offence.

The Opposition Leader said Anthony Albanese was weak on antisemitism and Labor was failing to combat extremism in Australia.

He repeated his call for an urgent National Cabinet meeting on the issue.

“The shocking rise in antisemitism in our country is a national crisis which requires a national response,” Mr Dutton said.

“I first requested the PM convene a National Cabinet on antisemitism in November 2023.

“He failed to do so. Last week I again wrote to him requesting a National Cabinet on this most pressing matter yet he still evades his responsibility.”

The Coalition further ramped up its resolve to counter antisemitism following the recent firebombing of cars and targeting of homes in Sydney, as well as the terror attack on a Melbourne synagogue.

Mr Dutton said the Jewish community felt under siege and abandoned.

“The Prime Minister talks about taking action but real action has been missing from this Prime Minister,” he said.

“The time for talk is over, so today we announce measures that a Dutton Coalition government will undertake to stop this vile scourge of antisemitism in our country in its tracks.

“If the PM won’t show the strong leadership our country needs, then we will.”

Mr Albanese said his government was responding to all reported acts of antisemitism and had appointed a special envoy, established an antisemitism taskforce and introduced legislation to outlaw Nazi symbols and the doxxing of Jewish members of the community.

He added that no government could legislate for the behaviour of 27 million Australians.

“Antisemitism has been horrific, something that needs to be stamped out,” the Prime Minister said.

“My government has taken every action that we could, from appointing an envoy on antisemitism, taking her advice, Jillian Segal, to making sure increased security has occurred around places of worship of schools.”

Last week, Ms Segal also called for a National Cabinet meeting on the crisis, saying said wider, coordinated national attention must be directed towards the crisis.

“Because we are seeing concerns in other states,” Ms Segal said.

“[The attacks] are not just pieces of graffiti damaging a building and being assessed on that basis. They are designed to send a message of fear into the community.

“The law does provide that there is this aggravated hate crime overlay on top of a normal sentence, but we need to make sure that the judiciary, including judges and magistrates, understand that and understand that this is stoking fear and concern amongst a portion of the community.

“If we don’t stop it, we are really undermining democracy.”

Announcing his plans on Monday, Mr Dutton said the only thing stopping Mr Albanese calling a National Cabinet on antisemitism was his own pride.

“There can be no social cohesion in our country when the prime minister is incapable of responding to a national crisis,” he said.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson described the situation as a “campaign of terror” unleashed on the Australian Jewish community.

He said those responsible had clearly been emboldened by the weakness of the Federal Government.

“Only strong action and real consequences for the perpetrators will bring this to an end,” Senator Paterson said.

“We are sending a clear message today that these acts of terrorism will not be tolerated on the watch of a Dutton Coalition government.”