The following article has been published on The Aus­trali­an Jewish News. 

Leaders greet security funding

Peter Kohn
The Australian Jewish News
October 5, 2018

 
JEWISH community leaders have lauded Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s con­firm­a­tion, reported in last week’s AJN, that Beth Weizmann Community Centre will finally get its much-needed federal gov­ern­ment funding – as part of round two of the Safer Com­munit­ies Fund scheme, under which Jewish insti­tu­tions across Australia received a total of $4.1 million.
Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry (ECAJ) co-CEO Peter Wertheim said the Jewish roof body had been cam­paign­ing for the federal gov­ern­ment to assist with the Jewish community’s ever-increas­ing security costs since it first received a written com­mit­ment of support from then-prime minister Tony Abbott in 2013.
“It has been a long and tortuous road, but it is pleasing to see some progress,” he said.
The applic­a­tions in round two, in which 93 Jewish communal insti­tu­tions across Australia sought more than $20 million, were coordin­ated by the ECAJ together with state roof bodies and CSGs.
ECAJ estimates round-two grant offers to Jewish insti­tu­tions comprised $1.7 million to NSW/ACT (total requested $12.1 million), $1.4 million to Victoria ($5.1 million), $1 million to Queens­land (full amount as requested), but nothing to Western Australia (which had requested $2.1 million).
“As welcome as these grants are for the Jewish insti­tu­tions which have received grant offers, they amount to only 20 per cent of the monies that were applied for and which are urgently needed,” said Wertheim. “Most of the Jewish insti­tu­tions which missed out in round two have reapplied in round three,” for which applic­a­tions closed on September 25.
Zionist Fed­er­a­tion of Australia president Danny Lamm said, “I’m delighted to hear of the government’s security funding and con­grat­u­late Prime Minister Morrison for this long delayed decision. This has been a long-term concern. It’s one I per­son­ally pursued with prime ministers Abbott and Turnbull during their terms of office.”
Sam Tatarka, chair of the Beth Weizmann Community Centre, said the centre “welcomes the federal government’s funding of security upgrades to our campus. This funding and the funds already committed by the gov­ern­ment of Victoria will enable much-needed works to be completed. This project will sig­ni­fic­antly enhance the security and safety of our communal hub … Beth Weizmann is now in a position to commence con­struc­tion [of upgrades] in the course of next year.”
Tatarka said thanks were due to Goldstein Liberal MP Tim Wilson, “a tireless advocate in support of these vital works” and to Treasurer Josh Fry­den­berg.