Donations flow to Dutton’s Liberals after worried Jewish voters lament Albanese’s mixed response to Gaza

Jewish political fundraising and direct donations have been delivered to the Liberals across the country in the wake of Labor’s handling of the October 7 attacks.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visits the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December with members from the Jewish community. Picture: Brendan Beckett

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Jewish political donations have been flowing into the Liberal Party in the wake of Labor’s handling of the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Multiple Liberal sources said fundraising and direct donations had been delivered to the Liberals across the country due to the conflict, and with Victoria and NSW the chief beneficiaries because of the demographics of voters.

A senior Liberal said much of the money was being centralised and not necessarily held out for particular electorates.

However, key seats where there had been direct activity included Goldstein in Melbourne and Wentworth and Bradfield in Sydney.

A member of the Melbourne Jewish community said many people wanted to avoid the trope that wealth was ubiquitous among Jews.

However, it was true that attention was being focused on the Liberal Party and any other group seen to be fighting anti-Semitism.

A senior Liberal said the full amounts of donations would not be known until the next round of funding disclosures.

There had been keen interest to back the Liberal Party.

“People look to the fact they feel one side of politics abandoned them,’’ a senior Liberal said.

Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with members of the Melbourne Jewish community during a vigil held on the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Melbourne on October 7. Picture: AFP

The Israel-Palestine war has opened up significant wounds among many pro-Israel supporters critical of the way the Albanese government handled the crisis.

While there are prominent members of the Jewish community opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior Liberals believe Peter Dutton’s harder line on the strike on Israeli soil has been viewed positively by many Australians of Jewish heritage.

“No one talks about donation numbers but there is no doubt the Liberal position on Gaza has been well received,’’ another senior Liberal said.

“There have been fundraisers and direct donations and you can feel it on ground. How it manifests on election day is hard to tell. But it can’t be a bad thing for us.’’

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Picture: Sky News

While a seat like Kooyong is not heavily Jewish, it has legacy fundraising issues because of former Liberal member Josh Frydenberg, one of the party’s biggest fundraisers.

In Victoria, the Liberal Party hopes to pick up three to six seats.

Anything above six would be considered a huge result while anything below three would be underperforming. The cost-of-living crisis is the main issue in Victoria, followed by the brand damage inflicted on Labor by the Allan-Andrews governments.

The three Labor seats most likely to fall are Aston (3.6 per cent), Chisholm (3.3 per cent) and McEwen (3.8 per cent).

Beyond that, both Labor and the Liberals are monitoring a series of other seats, including Hawke (7.6 per cent) in the deep outer west of Melbourne.

Victorian Liberals are unsure whether any significant gains can be made in traditional heartland Labor seats in the northeast, north and west.

Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel. Picture: Martin Ollman

The Liberal Party does not have significant infrastructure in some of these areas.

The bayside suburb of Goldstein, held by teal Zoe Daniel with a margin of 3.3 per cent, is a key seat that could be affected by the Israel-Gaza vote.

The Melbourne seat of Macnamara is held by Labor with a margin of 0.4 per cent versus the Greens. It has a heavy Jewish influence.