Jewish community leaders have welcomed Ben Carroll’s elevation as Victorian Premier, praising his record on antisemitism, education and engagement with the community.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion KC said Carroll had been receptive to communal concerns, regularly attended Jewish events and understood the realities in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
“Together with the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, we very much look forward to building on this relationship and working with Ben in his new role,” Aghion said.
JCCV president Philip Zajac said Carroll was well known to Jewish Victorians and had attended the parliamentary Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations last month.
As education minister, he had led consistent action by the Department of Education against antisemitism in schools, working closely with Jewish education leaders.
“The Victorian Jewish community also recalls his strong and principled response to the October 7 terror attacks in Israel and his immediate recognition that these events would deeply impact Jewish Victorians,” Zajac said.
Carroll travelled to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in March 2023 to strengthen Victoria’s economic, industry and cultural ties with Israel, with a focus on medtech, aviation, defence and the technology sector.
Following the October 7 attacks, he publicly declared Victoria’s support for Israel and the local Jewish community. He later told Parliament that his visit had given him a first-hand appreciation of the warmth and entrepreneurial spirit of the Israeli people.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said Carroll had built strong relationships across the community, stood with Jewish Victorians after October 7 and understood the importance of the Australia-Israel relationship.
He said the ZFA looked forward to working with Carroll as Victoria continued to confront antisemitism and foreign interference.
Jewish organisations also thanked outgoing premier Jacinta Allan, who took office 10 days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Aghion said Allan called him on October 8 to express her horror at the attacks and her support for the Jewish community.
“While we didn’t always achieve the outcomes we desired, a number of measures that did improve the security of the community were implemented on her watch, and her door was always open to us,” he said.
Zajac said Allan had listened to the community with warmth, including at a Central Shule roundtable examining the impact of antisemitism on Jewish women.
He said her legacy included reforms to anti-vilification and hate crime laws, the Victorian Multicultural Review and the Local Escalation and Help committee.
The ZFA also cited additional security funding for Jewish institutions and the government’s support following the firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.
“We are grateful for her leadership during that time,” Leibler said.