Jewish community receives 50 times more security funding per person than Muslims in Australia

CANBERRA, Australia (MNTV) — Australia’s allocation of security funding to Jewish and Muslim community organisations has come under renewed scrutiny following questions at Senate Estimates hearings about transparency, accountability, and disparities in government support, reports MichaelWest Media.

Since October 2023, Commonwealth security funding awarded to Jewish community organisations has reached approximately A$198 million (US$142.2 million) — comprising A$176 million already granted and a further A$22 million committed but not yet disbursed. The funding has been directed to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the country’s peak Jewish representative body, through programs aimed at enhancing community security amid rising concerns about antisemitism following the onset of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

However, critics and lawmakers have raised questions about how the funding is administered and whether adequate transparency mechanisms are in place. An investigation by Michael West Media found that the grants were paid to an incorporated association registered in the Australian Capital Territory rather than to a charity regulated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).

ACT-incorporated associations are not required to publicly lodge audited financial statements in the same way as registered charities, a distinction that drew scrutiny during Senate Estimates hearings.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge questioned Department of Home Affairs officials about why the funding had been awarded to ECAJ’s incorporated association rather than one of its charity entities, arguing the arrangement provided less public transparency.

Home Affairs official Amy Dyde responded that the incorporated association was the appropriate recipient as the corporate entity representing ECAJ as the national peak body. “It’s operational security funding,” she said.

The hearings also focused on disparities between funding for different faith communities. Government figures show that Muslim community organisations have received A$27.5 million (US$19.74 million) through the Security Uplifts for Muslim Communities program since October 2023.

Based on Australia’s 2021 Census figure of more than 813,000 Muslims, this equates to roughly A$34 per person. By comparison, with ECAJ estimating Australia’s Jewish population at approximately 120,000, the security funding allocated to Jewish organisations amounts to around A$1,650 per person.

Shoebridge noted during the hearing that Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab communities had also reported threats, harassment, and attacks on community facilities since October 2023.

“Of course, the Jewish community — recognizing that the threats and security issues are real in that community — are not the only community that’s facing quite distinct threats,” he said.

Department Secretary Stephanie Foster said Home Affairs maintained regular engagement with communities across Australia and was assessing their priorities.

She noted that Jewish organisations had consistently focused their requests on security measures, while Muslim organisations had presented a broader range of concerns and funding needs.

The debate comes amid reports of rising Islamophobia incidents.

Data published by Islamophobia Register Australia recorded a significant increase in reported cases following October 2023, with the organisation documenting hundreds of incidents and an average of 18 complaints per week during parts of the period.