The firebombing at Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue is being investigated by Victoria Police and an Australian Federal Police counter-terrorism squad, with a meeting set for Monday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes it has hallmarks of an act of terror, saying anti-Semitism has no place in Australia.
The attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea happened in the early hours of Friday. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)
But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused him of not taking a stronger line, pledging to deport people on visas who display anti-Semitic behaviour and a dedicated federal task force to tackle the issue.
If the coalition is elected after next year's federal election, the federal police-led body will tasked with investigating historic complaints about anti-Semitism dating back to October 7, 2023.
This includes "blatant acts of discrimination, racism online and threats that have been made to people of Jewish faith", Mr Dutton said in Melbourne on Monday.
Investigations into public display of symbols, incitement, harassment and other offences that didn't result in criminal charges will be re-opened.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson pledged to issue a ministerial direction to the AFP to prioritise anti-Semitism and amend migration laws to ensure anti-Semitic conduct is captured.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has already cancelled and denied visas to people who've made anti-Semitic remarks - which is possible under the character test for visas.
Stronger laws cracking down on the display of terror symbols passed federal parliament in October and anti-doxxing protections in November, without the support of the opposition.
Doxxing refers to the revealing of a person's private information, such as phone numbers or addresses, without their consent and is often used to encourage harassment.
Labor has also appointed Australia's first special envoy to combat anti-Semitism.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is Jewish, called for unity over "partisan bickering", given the distress and fear being felt in the Jewish community.
"I have experienced levels of anti-Semitism, as has every Australian Jew, like we have never experienced it before in our lives," he said.
"That's got to stop and it's not a time for finger-pointing, it's not a time for cheap criticisms."
The government on Sunday announced an extra $32.5 million in funding over the next 18 months to improve security measures to protect the Jewish community.
While politicians have branded the synagogue attack an act of terror, Mr Dreyfus said while the attack caused fear and distress, which was "a core part of a terrorist activity", it was important that police be able to conduct their assessments without political interference.
Ex-federal Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is a member of Melbourne's Jewish community, claimed "the government's weakness (in calling out anti-Semitism) has emboldened those who hate and emboldened those who harm".
"It's clearly a terrorist attack under the legislation, it's a house of worship, so it's a religiously motivated attack," he told Nine's Today Show on Monday.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has written to the prime minister asking him "to reflect on how this has been allowed to occur".
It wants Mr Albanese to "review the government's rhetoric and public statements on anti-Semitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict".
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