The Federal Government has appointed lawyer Jillian Segal as Australia’s first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Segal’s role is designed to help Jewish Australians “feel safe and included” in response to rising antisemitism since the Israel-Hamas war began.
Albanese flagged the Government would also announce a special envoy for Islamophobia “shortly”.
Special Envoy
A “special envoy” is someone who advises the government on a particular area and advocates for a specific cause or group of people.
The Government has special envoys for other matters, including the arts and disaster recovery.
The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism is tasked with interacting with Australia’s Jewish communities and anti-discrimination experts to help advise the Government on ways to address antisemitism.
Announcement
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Segal’s appointment at a press conference at the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Segal has served in senior positions across the private and public sector, and as former President of the Executive Council of the Jewry. She said combatting antisemitism has “never been more important than it is today”.
She will serve a three-year term and report directly to the PM and Immigration Minister.
“In times like this, Australians must come together, not be torn apart. We have built our nation’s social cohesion together over generations, and this is why we all must work together to uphold, defend and preserve it.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Coalition
Coalition MP Julian Leeser welcomed Segal’s role as Special Envoy.
“This appointment is the first thing the Government has done in a concrete sense on antisemitism in nine months,” Leeser said.
He urged Segal to “support [his] calls for a judicial inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities.”
