We cannot say we weren’t warned

When I entered the Victorian Parliament, I never imagined that one day Australia would be confronting a national crisis of antisemitism serious enough to warrant a Royal Commission.

As the Member for Caulfield, home to one of Australia’s largest Jewish communities, I have spent years listening to victims of antisemitism, supporting families affected by hate, and advocating for stronger action to protect a community that has increasingly felt vulnerable in its own country.

It is my hope that this Royal Commission provides an opportunity to examine how we arrived at this point and, more importantly, what must be done to ensure future generations never experience what so many Jewish Australians have endured in recent years.

The firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue shocked the nation. It was an attack on religious freedom, on the values that underpin our multicultural society.

The Bondi terrorist attack, which claimed 15 lives and remains Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack on home soil, was a devastating reminder of the consequences of allowing hatred and violent extremism to go unchecked. These events captured national attention, but the uncomfortable truth is that neither occurred in a vacuum.

The warning signs were evident more than a decade ago when the BDS movement targeted Max Brenner, a Jewish-owned Israeli chocolate business, normalising intimidation, disruption and economic harassment under the guise of political protest. Rather than strengthening the law in response, the Victorian Labor government weakened it by repealing move-on powers and failing to introduce a protest permit system.

Today, Victoria has become Australia’s protest capital and remains the only jurisdiction without a permit framework for major protests, leaving police with fewer tools to impose conditions, manage risks and hold extreme haters accountable.

The Jewish community repeatedly raised concerns. Yet the response from our state and federal government leaders and institutions was too often slow, inconsistent or absent altogether.

One of the most troubling developments has been the emergence of what I describe as a “horseshoe of hate”. While the far-left and far-right disagree on almost every political issue, they increasingly converge in their hostility towards Jews and the Jewish state.

On one side are neo-Nazi groups promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, white supremacy and hatred. On the other are extremist activists who seek to exclude, demonise or collectively blame Jewish Australians because of their perceived association with Israel.

This convergence has created an environment where antisemitism is increasingly tolerated, excused or ignored.

The lesson from history is clear. Hatred rarely begins with violence. It begins with words. It begins with intimidation. It begins with the gradual erosion of standards. The standard we walk past is the standard we accept.

When people can harass worshippers outside synagogues without consequence, when Jewish businesses are singled out for intimidation, when students feel unsafe on campus, and when extremists openly distribute antisemitic propaganda, society sends a message that such conduct falls within acceptable boundaries.

Many Jewish Australians experienced this reality firsthand following the atrocities of October 7. What began as political protest quickly evolved into something far more troubling. We saw harassment campaigns, attacks on community institutions, threats against individuals, antisemitic graffiti, doxxing campaigns and escalating acts of intimidation.

For many Jewish Australians, daily life changed. Parents became concerned about sending their children to school. Community organisations increased security. Synagogues reviewed safety protocols. People became more cautious about displaying visible signs of their Jewish identity.

At the same time, there remains a broader challenge that extends beyond policing and legislation.

Too many Australians know little about Jewish history beyond the Holocaust and even less about the contribution Jewish Australians have made to building our nation.

From General Sir John Monash, one of Australia’s greatest military leaders, to generations of Australians who have contributed to business, medicine, science, law, education, philanthropy and public life, Jewish Australians have helped shape the country we know today.

When a community becomes known primarily through the lens of overseas conflict rather than through its contribution to Australian society, misunderstanding grows. Ignorance creates fertile ground for prejudice, stereotypes and dehumanisation.

Education must therefore form a central part of the solution. Holocaust education remains critically important, but students must also understand contemporary antisemitism and the contribution Jewish Australians continue to make to our nation. Understanding fosters respect. Respect strengthens social cohesion.

The Royal Commission now has an opportunity to do more than document failures. It can help build a framework that prevents those failures from being repeated.

That means stronger laws and stronger enforcement. It means ensuring police have the powers necessary to protect communities from intimidation. It means holding universities, councils and publicly funded institutions accountable when they fail to address antisemitism. It means improving education and strengthening community cohesion. And it means ensuring antisemitism is treated with the same seriousness as every other form of racism.

Most importantly, it means listening when communities raise concerns.

The Jewish community warned repeatedly that antisemitism was escalating. Those warnings were too often dismissed, minimised or ignored.

Every Australian deserves to live, work, study and worship without fear. This Royal Commission must be a turning point, because we cannot afford another generation of warnings to go unanswered.

David Southwick MP is the Member for Caulfield in the Victorian Parliament.