Melbourne Lord Mayor calls for federal funds to protect religious events

Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece has called on the federal government to help cash-strapped local councils deploy additional security to religious events, as public hearings into the Royal Commission into anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion nears an end.

Addressing the inquiry on Monday, Mr Reece said Melbourne had the biggest Jewish community of any city in Australia.

“Indeed, the Jewish community has been part of the life of Melbourne since its earliest days, part of the DNA of our city, featuring prominently in social, community, and cultural life of Melbourne,” Mr Reece said.

He then described rushing to a firebombing of a synagogue last year linked to an overseas conspiracy.

“It was one of the most upsetting scenes I’ve ever seen … it was Sabbath, at Shabbat dinner, with children, families out on the street, and also the fire brigade was there, Victoria Police was there,” Mr Reece said.

“The area was being tapped off because it was a crime scene. It was extremely upsetting.

“This is not the Melbourne that I have lived in for most of my life … it was terrifying ands should be absolutely unacceptable in a city of Melbourne, in a country like Australia.”

Mr Reece described an hours-long motion while he was serving as acting mayor into the war in Gaza, which he said was “a very challenging thing” which was not the “best use of local government time”.

“I do think local governments have an important role to play in international engagement … We have lots of cultural visits through international students and the university connections,” he said.

“But complex geopolitical conflicts, I would say, are beyond the remit of local government.”

Mr Reece recommended the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade take on a role in hearing community views, similar to community forums previously run by AusAID.

“I’m not saying council should never be able to hear community debate on these things, but I do think that (with) some the Department of Foreign Affairs is probably better place to hear that community input,” he said.

Mr Reece also urged for more support from the federal government for council-run community religious events.

Noting events for Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Diwali, Mr Reece said the council had had to “introduce security at some of those events”.