Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denounced the "evil presence" behind a suspected antisemitic firebombing as a Jewish leader urges decisive action to stamp out hate after the Bondi massacre.
Detectives in Melbourne are investigating a suspicious fire outside a local rabbi's house in St Kilda East about 2.50am on Christmas Day.
Police said no one was inside the car, which had a Hanukkah-related sign on its roof, but the occupants of the house were evacuated as a precaution.
Detectives have identified a person who might be able to assist with their inquiries.
Albanese said in a statement that "federal authorities stand ready to assist".
"Firebombing of a car in Melbourne is another terrible act of suspected antisemitism," he said.
"There is no place in Australia for this kind of hatred and it has to stop.”
The Community Security Group (CSG), a Jewish protection group in Victoria, noted the presence on the car of the Chanukah symbol, a nine-branched candelabrum associated with Hanukkah celebrations.
It confirmed no community members had been hurt in the incident, and it remained in close contact with the police.
"CSG has already been operating at a heightened level with increased patrols and will continue to do so," the group said in an Instagram post.
The latest incident showed what life was like for Australian Jews when hatred was allowed to spread, Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said.
"If it is not mass murder of 15 people, it's the firebombing of a car," he said.
"It is a miracle no one was killed. We should not confuse luck with safety.
"This is the same sickness and evil moving forward and sending a message to the Jewish community: don't be visible, don't celebrate, don't exist openly."
Abramovich pressed for a royal commission into antisemitism, echoing calls from other Jewish leaders and the opposition after the Bondi massacre, during which 15 people were killed by gunmen targeting Hanukkah celebrations.
Albanese said the apparent firebombing attack was "beyond comprehension", adding that all governments were working to root out antisemitism.
"What sort of evil ideology and thoughts at a time like this would motivate someone? We know that there is evil presence," he told reporters at a Christmas lunch event.
Albanese spent Christmas morning serving festive fare at the Rev Bill Crews Foundation in his inner-west Sydney electorate. Source: AAP / Sitthixay Ditthavong
State and federal governments have been under pressure to respond forcefully to antisemitism after the shootings at Bondi Beach, Australia's deadliest terror attack.
Federal Labor has flagged hate speech reforms and an overhaul of ministerial powers to cancel or reject visas for anyone sowing division or potentially inciting violence.
But the Albanese government has resisted pressure to call a royal commission after the Bondi massacre, instead backing an NSW inquiry and prioritising a quicker but more limited review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The Victorian government has also promised a crackdown on hate crimes and plans to grant police the power to veto protests following designated terror attacks in a move that will move similar legislation rapidly introduced in NSW.
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