Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has pledged to lower the threshold for hate speech to the absolute legal limit to defeat any court challenge over free speech principles following a deadly anti-Semitic terror attack at Bondi.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett welcomed the push, saying the expanded legislation would make it easier to prosecute offenders.
It follows anger from the Jewish community about a lack of prosecutions over hate preachers and the display of Nazi symbols.
The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council said enforcement needed to be prioritised as it called for a crackdown on extremism, racial vilification and those causing harm to social cohesion.
"Police must be expected to rigorously enforce existing and new legislation that bans hate speech and terrorist or Nazi symbols," the council said in a statement.
"State and federal governments must prioritise enforcement by ensuring police receive proper training, education and internal support to apply these laws effectively when laying charges."
It also called for courts to apply the full force of penalties during prosecution.
Ms Barrett said four people had been charged with offences related to anti-Semitism by a national investigation team set up to tackle politically motivated violence and hate speech.
An announced increase to this team and the lower legal threshold meant police would take action more quickly, she said.
"It could be the difference between us just knocking on a door to warn an individual, to an individual being placed in handcuffs," she said.
Anti-Semitism education should be mandatory in schools and scrutiny ought to be applied about how the Israel-Palestine conflict is taught, the council said.
"Schools that teach hatred should lose funding," it said.
"Anti-Semitism education should not equal Holocaust education since anti-Semitism neither began nor ended with the Holocaust."
An anti-Semitism education task force led by the author of a landmark review of school funding has also been convened.
David Gonski, a prominent member of the Jewish community, oversaw the first meeting on Friday, as the task force conducts a 12-month review into the education system to ensure it adequately prevents and responds to anti-Semitism.
The council has joined calls for the government to urgently recall federal parliament so urgent legislation can be passed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has indicated this won't happen, as reforms including expanding hate speech laws were complex and needed to be watertight to withstand High Court challenges.
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