Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced the creation of a new Anti-Hate Taskforce following a suspected arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue, as political pressure mounts over how Victoria is responding to rising antisemitism.
The fire, lit during a Friday evening Shabbat dinner with around 20 people inside, has prompted alarm across Melbourne’s Jewish community. Victoria Police arrested 34-year-old Angelo Loras from New South Wales shortly after the incident. He now faces charges including arson and reckless conduct endangering life. Police are still investigating whether the attack was ideologically motivated and if it will be classified as a terrorist act.
The Premier visited the synagogue on Sunday, meeting Rabbi Gutnick and the congregation’s president to offer support and announce that mental health resources would be provided to those affected, particularly children who were inside the building at the time.
“This is a place that belongs to all Victorians,” Allan said. “We’ll protect it with everything we’ve got.”
The attack marks the second alleged arson targeting a Melbourne synagogue in under a year, following a similar incident at Ripponlea’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December 2024. According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, there were more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents across the country between October 2023 and September 2024—three times the previous year’s total.
While the government has pointed to several actions already taken, including the passage of the Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Act and the establishment of the Local Escalation and Help (LEAH) group, the opposition has dismissed these measures as ineffective.
“Seven months on, and all Premier Allan can show is another taskforce,” said Opposition Leader Brad Battin. “While our Jewish community has been vilified and targeted, we’ve seen no real action—just photo ops and platitudes.”
The new Anti-Hate Taskforce is being pitched as a strategic body bringing together Victoria Police, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, government ministers, and members of the Jewish community. Its aim, according to the Premier, is to coordinate law enforcement efforts, guide implementation of the Anti-Vilification Act, and shape upcoming laws designed to restrict extremist protests, including bans on terrorist symbols and face coverings.
The government maintains this taskforce is distinct from LEAH, which it says is more focused on local-level response. The Premier stated that legislation giving police greater powers to deal with violent and disruptive protests is currently being drafted with community consultation.
But the opposition has called for more immediate measures, arguing the government’s efforts lack teeth. “We don’t need more talkfests or working groups—we need police to have the resources and the legal authority to respond,” said Shadow Police Minister David Southwick.
Southwick, one of the few Jewish MPs in Parliament, has pushed for the reinstatement of move-on powers scrapped by Labor, saying they’re essential to managing protest-related threats before they escalate. “The LEAH group has achieved nothing,” he said. “And now they’re scrambling to repackage it as something new.”
The political standoff comes at a time of increasing unease within Jewish communities across Australia. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, Jewish schools, restaurants, and places of worship have experienced a rise in threats, harassment, and vandalism. A protest outside a Jewish-owned restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD just days before the synagogue attack only reinforced the urgency felt by community leaders.
Security at places of worship has become a growing concern. The East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation received $80,000 in government funding in December for protective infrastructure. But advocates argue this piecemeal funding approach isn’t keeping up with the risk.
Victoria’s Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Bill, passed last year, allows police to pursue charges for inciting hatred based on race, religion, gender, or sexuality. While welcomed at the time, some now question whether it has been fully implemented or adequately supported with enforcement resources.
The Lekakis Review, another piece in the government’s broader strategy, is expected to deliver its findings soon. It is likely to recommend stronger cohesion benchmarks and a proposed social cohesion pledge that groups must sign to access public funding.
For now, the Premier is asking Victorians to trust that the new taskforce will deliver. “Hate has no place in Victoria, outside synagogues or inside restaurants,” she said. “We have a plan, and we’re acting on it.”
The Liberals say that’s not good enough.
“Every Victorian deserves to feel safe,” Battin said. “It’s time to stop hiding behind taskforces and start delivering real protection.”
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