Iran: Anthony Albanese vows Government will work ‘each and every day’ to make Jewish Australians safe

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists his government will “continue” to work “each and every day” to make Australia’s Jewish community safe from the Revolutionary Guard in Iran after he blamed the organisation of orchestrating firebombing attacks on Sydney and Melbourne synagogues.

Speaking hours after ASIO boss Mike Burgess said investigations linked the Iran-back miliary force to separate anti-Semitic firebombings last year, Mr Albanese said the “expulsion” of Australia’s Iran ambassador and closure of the Iranian-based embassy on Tuesday was a “serious step” at countering the organisation.

“I think the exposure of this so clearly and the strong action we have taken — we need to change, legislate our anti-terror legislation in order to bring in the Revolutionary Guard,” he told the ABC.

“We will do that on the advice that we’ve received.

“The way that we have declared this so transparently and openly, I think puts very much the Revolutionary Guard of Iran in the spotlight. And one of the things that people who engage in this sort of conduct — they want to do it in the dark.

“Well, the light is on, and the light is on as to their motivations, and we’ll continue to do what we have been doing — working hard to keep Australians safe, whoever they are.”

Mr Albanese said his government and the security agencies would “continue” to take action to ensure Australia’s Jewish community is safe from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who have a history of violent terrorism and a foiled assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump.

“We’ll work each and every day, and I think that we have very much taken what action is open to us, but we’ll continue to as well,” he said.

“I don’t want us to shrink in on ourselves, It’s really important that Australians be confident and comfortable with expressing who they are. I met with the Australian Union of Jewish Students here just yesterday. I had a wonderful meeting talking about education and policy and about their future.

“We need for people to feel safe.

“One of great things about our country is our multiculturalism — that people of different faiths, different backgrounds, live side-by-side in neighbourhoods and overwhelmingly, we’re enriched by the diversity that is modern Australia.”

The government is set to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation, but an exact timeframe as to when that will occur has not been specified.

The intelligence agencies presented the Government on Monday with evidence that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was behind the arson attacks on Bondi kosher caterer Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in October last year, and the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne in December.

Mr Burgess said intelligence was still being gathered about possible links to other anti-Semitic attacks, but declined to say whether that involved incidents in States other than NSW and Victoria.