Antisemitism is an “age-old hatred” that threatens Australian society as a whole, not just Jewish communities, and must be countered by individuals and institutions, the government’s new special envoy said.

Respected business leader, lawyer and philanthropist Jillian Segal was named as Australia’s first special envoy to combat antisemitism on Tuesday, amid ongoing turmoil since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel and the country’s bloody war with Hamas.