Coalition pledges six-year minimum sentences for terrorism offences

The Coalition is pledging to introduce mandatory six-year minimum sentences for terror offences should it form government at the next election, in a bid to “stamp out” anti-Semitism.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson unveiled the election pitch at a synagogue in Sydney’s east on Monday.

He said people committing these acts clearly do not “fear the consequences” of their behaviour.

“We need to toughen our laws to make sure those consequences are very clear,” Senator Paterson told reporters.

“Firstly, we’ll introduce mandatory minimum sentences for Commonwealth terrorism offences of at least six years.

“If someone’s engaging in terrorism in our country, including firebombing synagogues, they need to feel the full force of the law and be locked behind bars for a number of years. And that’s the bare minimum.

“Secondly, we’ve seen people behaving with impunity when they’re displaying prohibited hate symbols, including flags of listed terrorist organisations in our cities and streets.”

It’s a proposition that has earned the backing of Peter Wertheim, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

He also called on the federal government to convene a national cabinet.

“The recent spate of attacks that we’ve seen in this country against the Jewish community are not just a matter for the Jewish community, they are an attack on all Australians on our way of life and on our values,” he said.

“And we need a co-ordinated response to turn back that trend. We need national, state and territory governments to be co-ordinated in their legislative responses in terms of law enforcement, in terms of education, online and media protection, and so on.

“This cannot be achieved without a national cabinet.”

Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) president Jeremy Leibler said stronger penalties were needed given the rising spate of attacks on the Jewish community.

“The surge in anti-Semitic incidents across Australia is deeply concerning, and stronger measures are needed to address this growing threat.

“The commitments announced today, including tougher penalties for hate crimes and greater protections for places of worship, are important steps in ensuring that Jewish Australians can live safely and without fear.”

Meanwhile, ZFA chief executive Alon Cassuto urged the Albanese government to be “clear and firm” in their response against increasing extremism.

“In 2025, it’s unthinkable that Jewish families feel unsafe in their own suburbs, that community leaders are targeted, and synagogues are vandalised and burned,” he said.

“Enough is enough. It’s time for governments at every level to take responsibility and make combating anti-Semitism a national priority.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Monday also called for Anthony Albanese to convene a summit of state and territory leaders.

He accused the Prime Minister of “playing politics” with the issue because “he sees political advantage in some Green seats by abrogating his priority to Jewish Australians.”

Mr Dutton said the Coalition’s measures would provide the “will to stamp out anti-Semitism in our country and to send a very clear message that is not going to be tolerated in any form whatsoever.”

“And that will happen from day one.”

Mr Albanese later defended his handling of the acts of violence against the Jewish community, saying no government could “legislate for the behaviour of 27 million Australians”.

Asked for his reaction to the Coalition’s announcement, Mr Albanese questioned Mr Dutton’s lack of action when he was the home affairs minister responsible.

“We’ll continue to ensure we work with state and territory government to stamp (this) out,” he said.

“There’s no place for anti-Semitism and those who are engaged in it should face the full force of the law.”

Police in Sydney have been investigating a series of incidents at synagogues and in suburbs with high Jewish populations.

In the most recent high profile incident, “f**k Jews” and “f**k Israel” were spray-painted onto two cars set on fire in Dover Heights.

A house was also splashed with paint.

The property was formerly owned by high-profile Jewish community leader Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Melbourne has seen a similar spike in anti-Semitic attacks, the most serious being the firebombing of a synagogue late last year.