There is no place in Australia for antisemitism

Antisemitism is not just a threat to Jews; left to run rampant, it infects us all. There is no place for antisemitism in modern Australia. But somehow it remains alive and well.

Jillian Segal, the Albanese government’s hand-picked special envoy to combat antisemitism, has warned that antisemitism in Australia has reached a tipping point, threatening social harmony, undermining trust in institutions and marginalising Jewish citizens.

The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: Dylan Coker

Her new sweeping plan to defeat it was unveiled on Thursday and includes recommendations on legislation, public broadcasting, migration, law enforcement, universities and schools and a number of other issues. She had been developing the plan since her appointment a year ago, following attacks on Jewish Australians after the October 2023 Hamas terror raid on Israel.

Segal’s report revealed that from that October to September 2024, antisemitic incidents surged by 316 per cent, with more than 2000 cases reported including threats, assaults, vandalism and intimidation.

Amid an outbreak of graffiti and fire attacks around synagogues and schools, homes, vehicles and individuals, antisemitism became caught in political crossfire in the approach to the federal election, with the NSW government going down its own path with legislation to deal with hate. The revelation that a caravan at Dural filled with explosives and a note referencing the Great Jewish Synagogue was a hoax blunted fears which roared back last week with disgraceful attacks on a part Israeli-owned restaurant and a synagogue in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was criticised for failing to do enough to stamp out rising antisemitism throughout much of this, but he stood tall beside Segal on Thursday, saying support for the report should be bipartisan and the idea that the cause of justice for Palestinians was advanced by violent behaviour was not only delusional but destructive.

Asked how he would ensure the plan did not prevent legitimate criticism of Israel, Albanese put himself on the line. “I have released statements with other leaders that have been critical of the actions of the Netanyahu government,” the PM said. “I will continue to put forward a position that is consistent with the position we have taken on the Middle East, but you can put forward those views respectfully.”

Segal said she would report back within a year on progress, and there are sure to be sticking points on such sweeping reforms. Albanese was right to ask for time to consider the report before deciding which recommendations the government will pursue.

Segal’s proposals on reviewing immigration and citizenship policies to vet applicants for extremist views is potentially problematic and requires much more detail. And her recommendation to withhold funding from cultural institutions and universities that do not tackle antisemitism could be a fraught enterprise that deters commonsense and fairness, as was shown by Creative Australia’s double-thinking cowardly decision to dump artists from the Venice Biennale over a 2007 video installation featuring a leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

The Herald’s call to tread gently on reform is not to undermine the importance of Segal’s report. She noted in her foreword that antisemitism unchallenged puts democracy at risk. Our democracy ensures government will look at her recommendations and, through consultation and due process, rightly push antisemitism to the edges.

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