Jewish schools and institutions in NSW will receive $2.2 million in security funding from the federal government as Scott Morrison woos the community ahead of next weekend’s by-election in the Sydney seat of Wentworth.
With more than 14 per cent of Wentworth residents identifying as Jewish, Dave Sharma, the Liberal candidate and former Australian ambassador to Israel, met with Jewish community leaders in Sydney on Tuesday to deliver early news of the funding allocation.
The money, understood to be a component of the national Safer Communities Fund scheme, could be officially announced as early as today, with the Prime Minister due at a Jewish community centre in Melbourne this morning.
This was another example of a strong economy and good economic management delivering practical benefits for local communities,” Mr Sharma told The Australian.
According to the 2016 census, more than 18,000 residents in Wentworth reported Judaism as their religious affiliation. The seat in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is the home of numerous Jewish schools, synagogues and community buildings.
Malcolm Turnbull won the seat at the last federal election with more than 62.2 per cent of primary votes, but the government is facing a backlash after he was dumped as prime minister.
Read the article by Elias Visontay in The Australian.