The most common form of Jew-hatred in Australia is “modern, progressive” antisemitism, according to Jillian Segal, the country’s special envoy to combat Jew-hatred.
“Islamic extremist, far-left and far-right antisemitism are still very much with us, and they require vigilance and laws that are properly enforced,” Segal said in a report released on Friday.
The updated report follows a government-adopted roadmap that came after the Bondi Beach terror attack on Chanukah in December 2025.
“The form that is leaving Jewish Australians increasingly anxious and excluded is the one that has taken root in influential institutions, where Jewish Australians are being discriminated against, blamed and vilified for the actions of the government of the state of Israel,” Segal said.
“It is best countered by understanding and by leaders who accept responsibility for the environments they oversee,” she wrote.
The document sets out Segal’s priorities for the next year for herself, the government and institutions.
Institutions are particularly vulnerable to “ambient antisemitism,” according to Segal.
“What was once extreme can become familiar. What becomes familiar can become acceptable, and what becomes acceptable can become fashionably progressive,” the document states.
The Bondi massacre “exposed with devastating clarity that the normalization of antisemitism in our institutions and public discourse cannot be separated from the threat of extremism and violence,” the envoy wrote.
She calls for a whole-of-society approach, for universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred and for schools to use the UNESCO program for teachers and students.
The report also recommends having a national healthcare antisemitism taskforce to protect Jewish practitioners from harassment and an independent ombudsman and expert panel to review broadcasters.
It also calls for enforceable public funding conditions to ensure that grants aren’t used to promote Jew-hatred and for cultural institutions to adopt codes of conduct.
Segal also asks for those who make decisions about issuing entry visas to Australia to be trained to recognize Jew-hatred, and other forms of hate.
“We want to see Jewish culture, creativity and achievement celebrated alongside those of every community that has built this country,” she said.
