Joint media release
Acting Leader of the Opposition, Hon Sussan Ley MP
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Hon Dan Tehan MP
Shadow Minister for Education, Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson
The appointment of Jillian Segal AO as Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia is a welcome step by the Albanese Government.
The Coalition supports this appointment. Ms Segal is a great Australian who is held in the highest regard by not only in our Jewish community but also across Australia’s business sector.
This appointment is acceptance by the Albanese Government that antisemitism is a real and present threat in communities across Australia.
While this appointment is welcome, stronger immediate action is needed.
A critical first step would be to immediately implement the Judicial Inquiry into Antisemitism on University Campuses which the Coalition has been calling for, with the support of the community. After many months of Labor failing to act on the alarming rise in antisemitism on university campuses, we urge the Prime Minister to listen to key Jewish organisations and support the Coalition’s proposal for this inquiry.
The Albanese Government’s response – a university racism study by the Australian Human Rights Commission which won’t hand down its final report until after the federal election – is woefully inadequate.
While a judicial inquiry is a matter for the Parliament, we welcome Ms Segal’s comments today indicating she will consider the merits of such an inquiry.
Ms Segal is a respected voice. Her standing is reflected in her extensive service to the community. She has served on the Council of the Australian War Memorial and as deputy chancellor of the University of New South Wales.
She is a director of the Sydney Jewish Community Centre, chair of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, immediate past president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, chair of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (NSW), director of the Grattan Institute, and a member of the International Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Ms Segal is also the chair of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, was a partner at the law firm Allens, a commissioner and deputy chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and served on the board of the National Australia Bank.
The Coalition welcomes any measure by the Albanese Government to bring attention to, and combat the rising tide of antisemitism across Australia.
Ms Segal’s appointment is a welcome development, and the Coalition will support the important work of this Special Envoy.