The Coalition calls on the Prime Minister to immediately recall Parliament to pass urgent legislation to eradicate antisemitism and strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism laws following the Bondi Massacre.
Australia has just experienced the deadliest terrorist attack on our soil, where Jewish Australians were lethally shot because of one reason and one reason only – their Jewish faith. A show of genuine leadership cannot be delayed any further. The time for words is finished – the Albanese Government must act decisively to keep them safe.
After two years of failure and inaction from the Prime Minister, the Coalition has stepped up where the Government has not.
We have prepared a comprehensive and practical package designed to protect Australians, disrupt extremist networks and restore confidence that the Commonwealth is using every power available to meet the threat we face.
I demand the Prime Minister recall the Parliament before Christmas and implement the necessary laws to give effect to this work.
In his announcements today the Prime Minister failed to outline steps to immediately strengthen counter-terrorism. Instead, he committed to measures against hate preachers he could have legislated after the October 7 attacks but didn’t. He outlined steps for implementing the recommendations of the Special Envoy for Antisemitism, despite declining to act on them since he received them over 160 days ago. The Coalition will work with the Government on their proposals, but they simply do not go far enough.
Developed by the Coalition’s Taskforce on Antisemitism, Extremism and Counter-Terrorism, our package includes proposals to:
- Pass Legislation to Give Effect to the Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism;
- Strengthen and Modernise Australia’s Counter-Terrorism Laws;
- Strip Citizenship from Terrorists and Hate Preachers and Bar Extremists from Entering Australia; and
- End Labor’s Policy of Self-Managed Returns for ISIS Brides.
These laws must be passed urgently to protect Australians from antisemitic extremism and violent radicalisation, and to restore confidence that the Commonwealth is acting to keep the community safe in a heightened threat environment.
The Parliament must convene immediately.
Despite incessant warnings and repeated calls to act, the Prime Minister failed to implement the Plan to Combat Antisemitism, prepared by his own Special Envoy, Ms Jillian Segal AO.
The Coalition is committed to fully implementing every recommendation of the Envoy’s Plan and has supported calls for a Royal Commission into the rise of antisemitism and extremism that led to the Bondi Massacre, and into the effectiveness of Australia’s counter-terrorism system. That Royal Commission is important but it cannot be used by the Prime Minister to delay any single action that can and must be implemented today.
Under our package, our message to those who preach hatred, preach radical Islam, glorify terrorism or incite violence is very clear.
If you are not an Australian citizen, you will be deported.
If you are an Australian citizen, you will be arrested.
In further detail the Coalition’s package of measures includes:
- Pass Legislation to Give Effect to the Special Envoy’s Plan. The Antisemitism Envoy should be made a statutory office empowered by an Antisemitism Envoy Act. The legislation should cement the Special Envoy’s functions and enact the definition of antisemitism, as set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The Migration Act 1958 should be amended to give effect to the Special Envoy’s recommendation that the Minister for Immigration be able to refuse visas to people who engage in antisemitic behaviour and hateful rhetoric. In the Arts, we will legislate a “no funding” trigger to terminate funding agreements made under the Creative Australia Act 2023 where the funding supports antisemitic activities. We will also pursue changes to the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles to prevent grants going to antisemitic projects or organisations. Through education settings, we must ensure teenagers and young people at risk of radicalisation do not become perpetrators of terror in the future. The Minister for Education must review curricula with reference to Jewish history, identity and culture and the need to comprehensively learn about the manifestations of antisemitism and the lessons of the Holocaust; and ensure teachers are sufficiently equipped to teach these lessons. We will make universities accountable for combatting antisemitism by amending the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to include combatting Antisemitism as a provider condition; legislate a “no funding” trigger for grants made under the Australian Research Council Act 2001 where the grant produces or supports Antisemitic activities; and establish a commission of inquiry into Antisemitism in universities. These measures seek to ensure teenagers at risk of radicalisation today do not become perpetrators of terror in the future. All actions within the Special Envoy’s report must be actioned as a matter of urgency.
- Strengthening and Modernising Australia’s Counter-Terrorism Laws. Current powers available to the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to prevent terrorist attacks have become out-of-date and urgently need to be strengthened. The Commonwealth’s Control Orders regime is 20-years old and is about to sunset under Labor, potentially leaving ASIO and the AFP without the ability to use such orders to prevent and disrupt terrorists and radical extremists. The Control Orders regime needs to be urgently updated so agencies can clamp down on radical extremists before an attack happens. Meanwhile, agencies’ electronic surveillance powers have long been recognised as unfit for the digital age. A new Electronic Surveillance Bill needs to be urgently passed to give agencies the digital powers to detect and disrupt terror attacks before they are carried out. Labor has delayed passage of such legislation for too long despite the prioritisation of such parliamentary action being called for by the Government's own 2024 Independent Intelligence Review. To strengthen the enforcement of existing laws, the Attorney-General should immediately write to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions directing the CDPP to take a much harder stance on prosecuting offending with an antisemitic motivation. Additionally, the Home Affairs Minister must use his directions power to immediately write to the AFP Commissioner instructing the AFP to adopt a stronger policing posture in relation to those spreading antisemitic hate and seeking to incite violence.
- A Funding Package for Enhanced Counter-Terrorism Response. When the terror threat level was raised, funding levels were not. Counter-terrorism action has been neglected by Labor despite multiple warnings. More funding must be immediately provided to allow law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest those engaged in radicalisation and the incitement of hate and violence in Australia. Funding must also be provided to address chronic workforce shortages in the AFP’s Counter Terrorism Command and the Department of Home Affairs’ Counter-Terrorism Coordination Centre. In the wake of Sunday’s Bondi Massacre, a reported AFP whistleblower revealed that the Government was warned in May 2024 of chronic workforce shortages that crippled the AFP’s ability to monitor suspected terrorists, with some investigators forced to monitor between 20-30 suspects at any one time. We also know that in November of this year, the union representing the AFP directly warned the Minister for Finance, Senator Katy Gallagher that “chronic and worsening shortages” were resulting in “missed opportunities to disrupt terrorist networks”. Further, in July 2025, the Government abolished the dedicated Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, despite Australia experiencing a reported 280 per cent increase in the number of counter-terrorism operations since 2015. When the Director-General of ASIO, Mike Burgess, lifted the National Terrorism Threat Level to PROBABLE in August 2024, citing antisemitism as a key driver, funding for counter-terrorism should also have been increased. When warnings were made, they fell on deaf ears.
- End Labor’s Policy of Self-Managed Returns for ISIS Brides. The Albanese Government has adopted the policy of ‘Self-Managed Returns’ for the ISIS Brides cohort who travelled to Iraq and Syria in support of Islamic State. This means the ISIS Brides are returning to Australia when and how they want, with the assistance of non-government organisations. This policy is reckless and dangerous, and threatens to introduce more ISIS affiliates and sympathisers into the Australian community, immediately following what authorities have confirmed to be an Islamic State-inspired massacre. When the Coalition was last in power and in order to keep Australians safe, citizens who travelled to join ISIS were only allowed to return to Australia on the Government’s timeline. To end Labor’s dangerous and irresponsible policy of Self-Managed Returns for ISIS Brides the Coalition will introduce draft legislation to make it an offence to provide repatriation assistance to a person who has visited a Declared Area (or previously Declared Area), without the express prior permission of the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This will end Labor’s policy of Self-Managed Returns, hold ministers accountable for how this dangerous cohort returns to Australia, and restore the settings to the Coalition's previous responsible approach where the Commonwealth determines the timing and nature of any repatriation. Additionally, we call on the Minister for Home Affairs to use his existing powers, such as Temporary Exclusion Orders, to keep the most dangerous people from returning here, until such time as appropriate measures are put in place for their return.
- Strip Australian Dual Citizenship from Terrorists and Hate Preachers and Bar Extremists from Entering Australia. Dual citizens who commit terrorist offences against Australia forfeit their right to live amongst us and enjoy the precious privileges of Australian citizenship. The Coalition will move to strengthen the Australian Citizenship Act, currently allowing the Minister for Immigration to apply to a court to cancel the citizenship of dual citizens, to cover a wider range of terrorist-related conduct, such as overseas military-style training and the committing of hate crimes outlawed under the Criminal Code. This will give the Minister for Immigration a legal pathway to strip dual citizenship and deport radicals and terrorist affiliates such as those who have stoked the wave of antisemitism that has engulfed our country over recent years. Meanwhile, the Minister for Immigration should use his existing powers to issue an immediate ministerial direction that in the current circumstances, no Australian visas will be granted to any person coming from a terrorist enclave, for example any Hamas-controlled territory, unless decision-makers are positively satisfied of an applicant’s identity and after a comprehensive security and character assessment. These assessment and identification checks would be elevated beyond current processes and protocols, through enhanced interrogation by authorities.
The Prime Minister is missing in action. In that absence, the Coalition will drive the full implementation of the Antisemitism Envoy’s report, attempt to strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism response and undertake direct and ongoing engagement with Jewish community leaders, organisations and institutions to ensure their security needs are understood and addressed.
The Coalition will do whatever it takes to press for the strongest possible action from the Government to keep Australians safe.
ENDS
BACKGROUND: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SPECIAL ENVOY’S PLAN
Leader-level
The Leader of the Opposition:
- Calls for an urgent recall of the House of Representatives and Senate, so a Private Members’ Bill can be introduced to elevate the role of Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia, to the status of a statutory office, through enabling legislation, as well as all other required legislation in this package.
- With respect to the Home Affairs portfolio, the Leader will introduce Private Members’ Bills to:
- legislate for a national database of antisemitic hate crimes and incidents to be maintained by the appropriate agency;
- strengthen the Migration Act to screen visa applicants for antisemitic conduct and rhetoric, and expand powers to refuse and cancel those visas; and
- table a motion, calling upon AUSTRAC to report to the Parliament on the current level of overseas funding entering public institutions.
- With respect to the Attorney-General’s portfolio, the Leader will introduce a Private Members' Bill to enshrine in Commonwealth law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of Antisemitism in a standalone “Antisemitism (Definition) Bill”.
- With respect to the Education portfolio, the Leader will introduce Private Members’ Bills to:
- amend the TEQSA Act to legislate for university conduct to combat antisemitism becoming a provider condition;
- amend the Australian Research Council Act to legislate for a trigger to prevent funding in certain circumstances where the facilitation, enablement or failure to act against antisemitism can be identified; and
- establish a commission of inquiry into antisemitism in universities as was first introduced by the Coalition in June 2024.
- With respect to the Arts portfolio, the Leader will introduce a Private Members’ Bill to amend the Creative Australia Act 2023 to legislate a framework to prevent funding in certain circumstances where the facilitation, enablement or failure to act against antisemitism can be identified.
- Publicly asks the Prime Minister to answer:
- when Australians can expect the signed Global Guidelines on Countering Antisemitism will be implemented through the Special Envoy’s Plan;
- when the Special Envoy will be adequately resourced and supported to action all recommendations of the Plan; and
- when the Government will deliver the necessary and required increased financial and security support to Jewish cultural festivals, education programmes, heritage preservation as well as Holocaust museums and educational centres.
Home Affairs
The Shadow Minister for Home Affairs publicly asks the Minister for Home Affairs to answer the following questions today:
- whether the Special Envoy has been, or will be, resourced and supported to provide antisemitism training to staff within the Department of Home Affairs and all those involved in processing visa applications;
- when state and territory police ministers have been, or will be, convened to ensure the consistent recording of antisemitic hate crimes and incidents through a national database;
- when state and territory police ministers have been, or will be, convened to establish a permanent standing cooperation arrangement to investigate incidents and threats; and
- whether existing and new Jewish institutions have been, or will be, in receipt of funding support for ongoing and increased operational security needs.
Education
The Shadow Minister for Education and Early Learning publicly asks the Minister for Education to answer the following questions today:
- when will the Minister conduct a rapid review of school curricula with reference to:
- antisemitism and the need to comprehensively teach the lessons of the Holocaust; and
- Jewish history, identity, culture, contributions, and diversity of identity.
- will he urgently convene state and territory ministers to rapidly review the awareness of teachers and educators of antisemitism education; and implement the outcomes of the aforementioned rapid reviews.
- the Special Envoy’s own representative, chosen to give a report card on universities, slammed universities for ‘moral complicity’ in the rise of antisemitism. When will the Minister take action to stamp out the hotbeds of antisemitic sentiment that have infected our campuses?
- when will we see students and academics held to account – removed from these institutions – for their involvement in antisemitic hate (which usually masquerades as anti-zionism)?
- when will the Minister launch the judicial inquiry into antisemitism on campus?
The Arts
The Shadow Minister for Arts publicly asks the Minister for Arts to answer, today, when state and territory arts ministers have been, or will be, convened to:
- establish guidelines or protocols on antisemitism for festivals and arts organisations to respond to antisemitic incidents; and
- implement initiatives to monitor and counter antisemitism within the arts.
- when will the Minister take action to prevent antisemitic foreign influences dominating our national cultural festivals, like the Sydney Biennale?
- when will the Minister cut funding to those who push radical and extreme propaganda that enables antisemitic sentiment?
Communications
The Shadow Minister for Communications publicly asks the Minister for Communications to, today:
- ensure accurate identification and reporting of antisemitism, as it is defined in the full IHRA definition;
- identify trusted voices and experts, including: the Special Envoy; those specialising in sensitive online content; the eSafety Commissioner; industry; and community representatives, to publicly refutate antisemitic views;
- enforce the Charters of the ABC and SBS so as to ensure accurate and impartial (fair and balanced) reporting;
- amend the Charters of the ABC and SBS so as to ensure, explicitly, accurate and impartial (fair and balanced) reporting of:
- matters relating to the expression of antisemitic views; and
- Jewish history, culture, contributions and diversity of identity.
- task the eSafety Commissioner to establish a designated unit to monitor and eradicate online hate by establishing effective and beneficial frameworks that will:
- provide protections to individuals and targeted groups in the online environment;
- reduce the presence or influence of ‘bots’ that deliberately sow social discord and minimise the reach of those who peddle hate behind a veil of anonymity; and
- ensure AI does not amplify antisemitic content.
- increase transparency of moderation decisions made by social media platforms; and
- establish regulatory parameters for algorithms.
Attorney-General
The Shadow Attorney-General requests that the Attorney-General today, publicly provide information on:
- steps that have been, or will be, undertaken by the Commonwealth to ensure the IHRA definition of antisemitism is enshrined across Australian jurisdictions, including the dates of any correspondence or meetings or attorneys-general or officials;
- when her Department has, or will have, undertaken any work, together with the Special Envoy, to consider the requirement to strengthen Commonwealth hate laws, offering to work constructively on any such consideration and ask whether state and territory attorneys-general have been convened to strengthen state and territory legislation addressing antisemitic and other hateful or intimidating conduct; and
- when her Department has, or will have, undertaken any work, together with the Special Envoy, to develop guidance for Commonwealth policy, prosecutors, the judiciary and regulatory authorities, as well as engagement with state and territory attorneys-general to ensure comprehensive education is provided across Australia so that the application of the law is informed by a thorough understanding of antisemitism.
Treasury
The Coalition commits to strengthening the integrity of the Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) framework by ensuring that charitable institutions which promote, endorse or facilitate antisemitism are not eligible to receive taxpayer-subsidised donations. We will bring forward legislation to clarify and tighten DGR eligibility criteria, and to ensure the Australian Taxation Office and relevant regulators have clear, explicit authority to review and, where appropriate, revoke DGR status from organisations which engage in or promote antisemitism.