The Albanese government is set to spend $178.4 million over the next five years to improve social cohesion, with funding for Australia’s Jewish and other multicultural communities.
Last year the government announced a range of measures for those impacted by the , including improving security for Jewish communities and grants for Arab and Muslim bodies, as well as for media companies to combat misinformation.
Unveiled in is new funding for security in places of worship for Jewish and Muslim communities.
At least two mosques have been the target of security threats in recent weeks, including in which a man allegedly threatened to "Christchurch 2.0 this joint" — a reference to New Zealand's 2019 Christchurch massacre in which 51 worshippers were shot dead.
SBS News understands the security funding for the Muslim community places of worship will come from the Department of Home Affairs.
Just over $30 million has been allocated for the next four years to restore the Adass Israel Synagogue and community centre in Melbourne’s south-east, which was damaged in a last December. The funding will also help restore Torah Scrolls and other security upgrades.
Some $2 million in funding will go to the Holocaust Institute of Western Australia to upgrade its education centre.
The Project Rozana Foundation will receive a $4 million boost from the government before the end of this financial year to aid the health sector in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Programs improving refugee employment have also been funded to the tune of $7.7 million, while more than $3.5 million will go to a pilot providing post‑arrival supports to refugees.
Separately, $1.6 million will be spent on providing mental health services for Australians impacted by the Hamas-Israel war, extending measures already in place.
The funding package also includes $15 million over three years for a new sports hub and $10 million in 2025-26 for independent multicultural media outlets to ensure their sustainability.
The Chinese community will receive $2.2 million in funding to restore museums while the African Australian organisations will get $20 million in funding over four years to boost their community advocacy programs.
