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Antisemitism in Australia is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice or discrimination against the Australian Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. This form of racism has affected Jews since Australia's Jewish community was established in the 18th century.
In the 1880s, antisemitism started to become prevalent in the country alongside the rise of Australian nationalism and the campaign for the Federation of Australia. Trade unions, politicians and the media were hostile to the small number of Russian Jewish arrivals in the country.[1] The Labor Party politician, Frank Anstey published a pamphlet, The Kingdom of Shylock, a collection of his antisemitic writings.[1]
The second wave of Jewish refugees arrived between 1938 and 1939 and again endured an antisemitic Australian press and anti-Jewish statements by politicians.[1] Pressure groups such as the Australian Natives' Association and Returned and Services League of Australia spearheaded resolutions against Jewish immigration.[1] After the war, The Bulletin published antisemitic cartoons, pushing against Jewish immigration.[1] Arthur Calwell, the minister of immigration adopted measures to ensure that Jews would not constitute more than 0.5% of the country's population.[1] There was a 25% cap on Jewish passengers travelling on Australia-bound ships and planes.[1][2]
In January 1960, Prime Minister Robert Menzies condemned recent manifestations of antisemitism in the country: "I think that I should now say that there is absolutely no room in Australia for anti-Semitism..."[3]
From 1960, Eric Butler's far-right and antisemitic Australian League of Rights, became a national movement.[4] The organisation promoted The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and other antisemitic libels.[1] There were also strong antisemtic sentiments from some non-Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe that had settled in Australia.[1] They established Australian branches of the fascist, antisemitic movements such as the Ustaše from Croatia and the Hungarian Arrow Cross.[1]
Following the Six-Day War, some far-left activists pushed an anti-Israel agenda.[1] They were influenced by anti-Zionist propaganda from the Soviet Union. This sometimes impacted on Australian university campuses. In the 1970s, the Australian Union of Students was under Trotskyist and Maoist influences and even proposed anti-Israel resolutions.[1] Jewish students that opposed these resolutions were physically attacked.[1] Attacks on Jewish property and institutions increased with tensions in the Middle East, with corresponding increases in security precautions. In 1975, ASIO documents revealed that Palestinian terrorists planned to kill high-profile Jewish figures including the Israeli ambassador Michael Elizur and "Zionist spokesmen" Isi Leibler and Sam Lipski. Former prime minister Bob Hawke, "one of Israel's most vocal supporters", was also considered for attack.[5]
Since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, antisemitism has surged in Australia.[6][7][8] In November 2023, hundreds of prominent Australians signed a letter condemning the rise in antisemitism. The signatories included Daniel Andrews, Gladys Berejiklian, Lindsay Fox and Anthony Pratt.[9]
There are a number organisations that track antisemitic activity, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry that publish an annual report for all reported antisemitic activity.[10]