Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is considering giving police more powers to disperse protests that instil hate against people based on their identities or religious beliefs, but critics have condemned her government’s response to rising antisemitism as unacceptably slow.

Following this month’s arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea in Melbourne, the Victorian government is mulling legal changes to ensure people who attend places of worship can do so without fear, intimidation, harassment or obstruction.