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Or sign-in if you have an account.A couple prays during a candlelight vigil, one week after 15 people were killed in an attack on a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on Dec. 21, 2025. Photo by Audrey Richardson/Getty ImagesWhile reviewing the fiscal plans in Australia’s budget last week, I was struck by its substantial response to the Bondi Beach terror attack last December, in which 15 people were murdered and 40 others wounded.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe Australian government announced that it will spend more than AU$604 million (C$592 million) over five years to support security and other measures almost exclusively directed at antisemitism. Governments have a role in protecting all of their citizens as a public good and that includes paying for police and security.Even though antisemitism in Canada accounted for 70 per cent of religious-motivated police-reported hate crimes in 2024, Canada’s lack of response is appalling compared to Australia’s.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againCanada’s April 2026 fiscal update eked out one sole reference to antisemitism as “incidents driven by Islamophobia and antisemitism and hate targeting LGBTQ+ communities.”The Carney government will spend an additional $75 million over five years to support security measures under the Canada Community Service Program, bringing up the total from past budget promises to $135 million over five years, of which the federal government has dedicated 70 per cent to the Jewish community so far.Given that the Jewish community in Canada is nearly 3.5 times larger than Australia’s, it’s striking that Canada’s response to antisemitism is at best a light touch. Australia’s Bondi response roughly totals C$1,000 annually per Jewish resident while Canada’s new contribution to Jewish security is a whopping C$70 per Jewish resident.Canada’s security funding is primarily limited to capital and planning expenditures, with little support for the enormous cost incurred to hire personnel. Jewish organizations have requested $100 million per year given the security costs, which would be comparable to Australia’s effort.It seems as though governments only take antisemitism seriously when Jews finally get killed. That is the case of Australia. Prior to the Bondi Beach massacre, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was accused of ignoring antisemitism as growing hate crimes were directed at the Jewish community following Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel.Even though Jews make up only 0.5 per cent of Australia’s population, incidents of Jew-hatred dominate all others. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry documented that annual antisemitic incidents increased fivefold after October 7, culminating in over 3,700 incidents between October 2023 and September 2025, 45 per cent of which involved antisemitic graffiti or posters.It isn’t just the frequency of posters and graffiti referring to “Jew Dogs,” “Gas the Jews” or “Murder Your Local Zionist” that are concerning. More horrific is the growing violence towards Jews that did little to spurn government action in Australia.Time magazine provides a timeline of 17 violent antisemitic events from May 25, 2024 to Dec. 14, 2025, when the Bondi terror incident occurred. As time went by, antisemites got braver, moving from defacing a Jewish school in early 2024 to committing arson attacks against Jewish stores, automobiles and synagogues by the fall.After these incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Albanese government of encouraging antisemitism with its hostility towards Israel. Whether fair or not, hostility toward the Jewish community grew, with more synagogues and communities being attacked and vandalized. In July 2025, worshippers at a synagogue evacuated through a back door as a man lit a fire at the front.It took a massacre to motivate the Albanese government to do something serious, as reflected in last week’s budget. The government will spend AU$102 million to improve security for Jewish institutions over four years, and AU$43 million over two years for mental health support for the Jewish and broader community. Another AU$207 million over five years will be spent to combat antisemitism and violent extremism, including controls on the importation of firearms.Other policies include funding to support Jewish institutions harmed by recent violent events and for education and research on antisemitism. New Jewish charities such as Hakoah Club (sports club) and the Jewish Community Foundation will become eligible for donation deductions (unlike the Canada Revenue Agency, which has been delisting Jewish charities, most notably the well-known Jewish National Fund).Most important, in January, following the Bondi incident, the government created Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which will cost AU$131 million over four years. It will provide recommendations to improve law enforcement and border controls, in order to counter antisemitism and strengthen social cohesion in Australia.Having already started, its deliberations are chilling, as Bondi Beach witnesses describe their awful experiences, and parents and children tell stories of antisemitic incidents at schools and workplaces.Dave Rich, a leading British academic on antisemitism, concluded that labelling Zionism as a form of western colonialism is used to demonize, exclude and attack Jewish people and supporters of Israel. He also argued that claiming that Israelis are just like the Nazis in practising genocide undermines the importance of the Holocaust in defining antisemitism.This all-encompassing approach in Australia should be carefully reviewed by the Carney government. It is not just a matter of a government’s responsibility towards security. It is also an issue of social cohesion.Like Australia, intimidating demonstrations that dehumanize Jews has led to an increase in antisemitic attacks in Canada. Reported and unreported antisemitic acts are frequent, totalling 567 per month in 2025 alone, according to B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit of antisemitic incidents.The Carney government should not wait for a Bondi-like terror incident before acting to curb antisemitism. So far, its effort is deficient.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.