Segal report gets to heart of why bold action matters

The federal government’s special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal, has managed to get to the heart of why the stakes are so high when it comes to stamping down on the age-old scourge and what needs to be done. Anti-Semitism is not just a threat to Jews, Ms Segal’s report correctly points out. It attacks the foundation of our nation; the fairness, equality and respect we have for one another. It is contrary to all the Australian values we hold dear.

Ms Segal says when hatred goes unchallenged, our democracy is at risk. The response must be clear and unequivocal. The Jewish community is not asking for special treatment. It is demanding that our shared national rights to safety, dignity and security apply equally to us all.

Ms Segal’s appointment as special envoy attests to the fact that old hatreds that resurfaced after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel have been allowed to flourish. As the “canary in the coalmine”, attacks on Jews often signal broader assaults on society and the gradual breakdown of cohesion.

Our governments at all levels, police, universities and some within the media must share responsibility for the bleak statistics presented in Ms Segal’s report of what has occurred in Australia since the Hamas terrorist attack half a world away. From October 2023 to September 2024, anti-Semitic incidents surged by 316 per cent, with more than 2000 cases including threats, assaults, vandalism and intimidation reported. In October and November 2023 alone, episodes increased more than 700 per cent compared with the previous year.

Where governments and our leading institutions must accept responsibility for not acting quickly enough to stem the rise of anti-Semitism, they must now step up to be accountable and part of the solution. Anthony Albanese deserves credit for standing with Ms Segal on Thursday, together with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, to release a blueprint for action.

The Prime Minister did not commit the government to adopting Ms Segal’s sweeping recommendations but said he would work constructively across government and civil society to address the issues it had raised. Mr Albanese was able to acknowledge publicly the pain felt by Jewish Australians and articulate that Australia as a society wanted a country that was “in the centre and rejects extremes”. He is right that it must be possible to hold different views and debate them respectfully. But what has happened to the Jewish community since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel has been beyond tolerance.

A line exists between what is community debate and racist, anti-Semitic ideology. It is one that Ms Segal says must be anchored in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism, which is key to distinguishing potentially legitimate critique from hate, especially when anti-Zionism masks anti-Semitism. That definition is: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” The IHRA says by way of example: “Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. But criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic.”

Too often our university and artistic institutions have allowed the line to be crossed. Ms Segal’s recommendation is to embed Holocaust and anti-Semitism education in national and state school curriculums and hold university leaders and government-sponsored arts groups to account. She says government funding should be cut from universities, programs or individuals within universities that facilitate, enable or fail to act against anti-Semitism. Public grants provided to university centres, academics or researchers would be cut if the recipient engaged in anti-Semitic or otherwise discriminatory or hateful speech or actions. In the arts, Ms Segal recommends that funding be cut if an institution or festival promotes, facilitates or does not deal effectively with hate or anti-Semitism. Charitable institutions that promote speakers or engage in conduct that promotes anti-Semitism should lose their deductible gift recipient status. Visa applications should be screened for anti-Semitic views or affiliations, consistent with a risk-based approach.

Mr Albanese and Mr Burke were equivocal about what measures would be adopted and how. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is right to call for clarity on which of the recommended measures the federal government intends to act. The Zionist Federation of Australia has said Ms Segal’s report must be met with “comprehensive action and enforcement”.

It is beyond the scope of Ms Segal to police her own recommendations. But she has a big role still to play in education and helping to deliver on the call from the nation’s peak Jewish community organisation that all sectors of society co-operate to give the action plan full force and effect.