‘Second round’ plan for tackling antisemitism to come

As Anthony Albanese faces mounting pressure over his government’s response to stamping out antisemitism, a second road map will be produced to guide action.

A more detailed plan to snuff out anti-Semitism in Australia will be given to the Albanese government in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, killed 15 people and wounded 40 others after opening fire on attendees at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing growing criticism following the attack, as his government has been too slow to address the hatred of Jewish people.

Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal said she was looking to the government to make a statement about progress on the report she handed down earlier this year.

“I am preparing a sort of implementation plan second round, because obviously the plan was high level, touching all parts of society, and now we need, as things have progressed, a more detailed implementation plan that I’ll be giving to government,” she told Sky News.

“I hope that they will follow that and will deal with some of these difficult questions as to where you draw the line.”

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said Naveed – an Australian-born citizen – is facing significant criminal charges.

He is under police guard in hospital after being shot by law enforcement during the rampage.

His father Sajid who was killed at the scene, had been living in Australia on various visas since 1998.

Former prime minister John Howard described the debate on gun control as a “diversion” from the issue of hatred and the federal government’s failure to “bring sufficient energy to a broad-based attack on the evil of anti-Semitism”.

Mr Howard overhauled the nation’s gun rules after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which remains Australia’s worst mass shooting.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said “all the warning signs were there” that hatred of Jewish people was ramping up.

“In a cynical ploy to protect his voting base in southwest Sydney, he’s trying to switch the conversation to gun reform,” he said in a video uploaded to social media.

“What we really need to talk about is immigration, is citizenship, is education, we need to talk about Australian values and what we want our country to look like.

“We need to differentiate between those who love Australia, our people and our values, and those who hate us.”

Mr Albanese has been repeatedly pressed on action taken by his government to stamp out anti-Semitism.

He has pointed to criminalising hate speech advocating violence, funding Jewish community groups and promoting inclusivity for Jewish students and staff at university campuses as measures brought in.

“Our focus has been on the immediate response, the investigation, our national cabinet meeting yesterday, our national security committee will meet again this afternoon,” he told reporters at a press conference in Sydney on Tuesday.

“We’ll continue to monitor all of these issues.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the government must implement the report.

“We can’t afford to have an approach by the government that treats anti-Semitism as a problem to be managed, not an evil to be eradicated,” she told ABC News Breakfast.

By: Zac de Silva, Grace Crivellaro and Tess Ikonomou/AAP