Former Labor attorney-general Mark Dreyfus took the witness stand at the anti-Semitism royal commission in Melbourne on Monday, detailing anti-Semitic abuse he has endured as a Jewish Australian in recent years.
Mr Dreyfus called on the Commonwealth to adopt stricter hate speech laws similar to those recently legislated by the Victorian and NSW governments, which criminalise serious vilification.
"For the Commonwealth parliament to legislate is to set a standard," Mr Dreyfus said.
"It's the community speaking through its parliament to set a standard of behaviour."
The inquiry was called after 15 innocent people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14.
The former frontbencher described the first time he was subjected to anti -Semitic abuse while waiting to march in a violence-against-women protest outside the State Library of Victoria in April 2024.
Mr Dreyfus claims he was labelled a "genocidal Zionist" by a man crossing La Trobe Street.
"It was so shocking and so striking to me that this should occur ... no one had ever hurled abuse at me because I am Jewish," Mr Dreyfus said.
The senior Jewish MP then detailed a "deeply wounding attack" in which his electoral office in Melbourne's southeast was vandalised with red paint and a message reading ''who does AG Dreyfus serve?''.
"It invokes all of those old anti-Semitic tropes about dual loyalty and treachery to Australia, all of which are false," Mr Dreyfus said.
Asked by Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell to define Zionism, Mr Dreyfus described support for Israel existing as a Jewish state, which does not necessarily extend to support for the current government of Israel.
"I'm very proud to say I'm a Zionist, in that sense," Mr Dreyfus said.
While every Australian is free to direct criticism at the government of Israel, a "line is crossed" when that Jewish Australians are held responsible for the actions of the state of Israel, Mr Dreyfus said.Â
"That is crossing the line and we've seen it over and over again ... It's wrong, it needs to be called out," Mr Dreyfus said.
"It's vital that the distinction be understood, and that the 'line', as we're calling it, be clearly understood."
Mr Dreyfus, who in November was appointed Special Envoy for International Human Rights, was the first of seven witnesses expected to give evidence on Monday.
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg, two representatives from Jewish security group CSG, and three other Jewish Australians will also take the stand.
Existing security arrangements for Jewish communities and their future safety needs will be probed at the commission.
The hearings are also expected to investigate security risk assessments and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and Jewish security groups.
CSG urged police to attend the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi, noting the "likely" threat of an attack due to mounting examples of anti-Semitism, the inquiry heard previously.
But a police threat assessment set up for major events such as New Year's Eve, Anzac Day, Mardi Gras and the Jewish High Holy Days was not performed for Hanukkah festivities, the commission heard.
At the time of the shooting, four NSW Police officers were present at the celebration.
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