Minns backs Albanese on anti-Semitism response, signals hate-speech reform

Premier Chris Minns has refused to criticise the federal government’s anti-Semitism response as he signalled moving forward with NSW hate-speech reform.

NSW Premier Chris Minns speaking at state parliament on Monday. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Premier Chris Minns has refused to criticise Anthony Albanese and the federal government’s anti-Semitism response as he signalled moving forward with NSW hate-speech reform, despite a law review’s reservations.

It comes as 20-year-old Sydney man Mohommed Farhat was arrested on Monday and charged with 21 offences pertaining to last Thursday’s alleged anti-Israel vandalism attack in a prominent Jewish neighbourhood in Sydney.

On Monday, The Australian revealed how Benjamin Elton, a leading rabbi and decade-long chief minister of Sydney’s Great Synagogue, called Mr Minns’s response to anti-Semitism and fraying social cohesion “extra­ordinarily strong”.

This was a description Rabbi Elton said he could not apply to the Prime Minister, whose language and actions he believed failed to match the severity of what his community was facing.

“The level of response the Prime Minister believes is appropriate (to anti-Semitism), I think we’ve passed that stage,” he said.

Mr Minns refused to comment on the federal leader but vowed that NSW would stamp out the “hatred” directed at the Jewish community, which had spiked since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

“We work closely with faith leaders, and right now we’re working particularly closely with Jewish leaders because they feel like – and evidence indicates it – they’ve been under attack … There’s evidence of racial vilification and hatred directed at (their) community,” he said.

“I don’t think that’s overblown, I believe it, I think it is absolutely true (rising anti-Jewish hatred).”

Mr Minns said “no one should feel unsafe in their community”.

“And if there’s any group who are the subject of vilification, we would immediately jump to their defence,” he said.

“We need to do that with the Jewish community right now”

Mr Minns also appeared to leave the door open to reforming the state’s section 93Z hate-speech criminal protections, saying he remained “concerned” with the provision’s effectiveness, despite the NSW Law Reform Commission recommending no changes to the legislation, which Jewish leaders said would only encourage vilification.

“I’ve got concerns about whether the current (provisions) are fit for purpose, given the massive increase in anti-Semitic attacks we’ve seen,” he said.

Mr Minns said NSW would not allow hatred to be imported from overseas and that was why he was considering possible reform to 93Z, which outlaws inciting violence on the basis of race or religion, among others.

“I’m not convinced the current laws are fit for purpose,” he said. “It’s not straightforward to change legislation … but I think there’s room for movement and we’ll have more to say.”

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan will introduce new anti-vilification laws on Tuesday, which would extend the communities protected under the legislation and lower criminality thresholds.

That state’s laws already outlaw “inciting hatred”, unlike NSW’s 93Z, which outlaws “inciting violence”, and has a narrow scope and high threshold.

On Monday, NSW police laid 21 charges against Mr Farhat, who was arrested at Sydney Airport about 4am for his alleged role in last week’s Woollahra attack.

The Premier had vowed that police would throw “massive resources” to track down the “vile individuals” behind the attack, where a car was torched, 10 others vandalised with “f..k Israel” graf­fiti.