The government has yet to officially adopt Segal’s recommendations, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to enacting reforms aimed at curbing hate speech, radicalisation, and antisemitism.

Appointed in July 2024 as the special envoy to address the increasing number of anti-Jewish incidents nationwide, Segal brings her experience as a former lawyer and business executive to the role.

Nominated for a three-year term, she collaborates closely with the prime minister to engage Jewish Australians, the broader Australian community, and various government levels to tackle this escalating issue.

One of her initial significant undertakings was the release of a controversial report.

Within the report, Segal underscores 49 key actions, including the necessity of ensuring the ongoing physical safety of Jewish communities and maintaining robust law enforcement to both prevent and respond to antisemitic threats.

Segal wrote that it was intolerable to accept that Jewish Australians needed to wrap its schools, community centres and places of worship in multiple layers of security.

She recommended increased operational security at existing and new Jewish institutions and a “permanent standing cooperation arrangement between state and federal governments to investigate threats and incidents, as well as links to terrorist elements”.

Critics, including Amnesty International, labelled the plan a failure for falling short of addressing the root causes of antisemitism and for its vague, sweeping recommendations.

What are the recommendations in Jillian Segal’s report?

Segal’s report included 49 key actions.

Among them are a national database which keeps track of antisemitic incidents, a university “report card” that holds educational institutions to account for how they prevent and address antisemitism and strengthening both federal, state and territory legislation to penalise antisemitic behaviour.

The government is facing accusations of not doing more, and sooner.

“The leadership has not been there for Jewish Australians,” Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said.

Ley said she had set up a team of shadow cabinet ministers to tackle antisemitism in response to the shooting.

“It will drive the full implementation of the government’s own antisemitism envoy’s report that has sat gathering dust on the prime minister’s desk,” Ley said.

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg claimed Albanese knew “stronger action” was needed in the wake of escalating antisemitism in Australia.

“From the hours after October the 7th, we saw those scenes on the steps of the Opera House, where people were celebrating the death of Jews,” Frydenberg said on ABC’s 7.30.

“Since that time, we’ve had the doxing of Jewish creatives. We’ve had the boycotting of Jewish businesses. We’ve had the firebombing of places of worship, synagogues across the country, we’ve had childcare centres bombed, and we’ve had daily protests.”

Frydenberg, who was once the most senior elected Jewish-Australian official in the country, said these incidents have all taken place “on the prime minister’s watch”.

“The prime minister has been told repeatedly along the way that stronger action needed to be taken,” he added.

The PM today acknowledged the rise of antisemitism in Australia during a press conference alongside Segal and explicitly connected Sunday’s attack with social attitudes following the October 7 attacks on Israel.

“Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry it is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” he said.

Albanese this week also pointed to several recommendations his government has acted on, including banning the Nazi salute and hate symbols, criminalising doxxing (the sharing of personal information of others online with malicious intent), and millions of dollars in education funding.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also used the deportation of people with antisemitic views as an example of action the government has taken.

The government has now committed to fast-tracking the special envoy’s recommendations.

“We will look at all measures that can contribute to eradicating hatred and we will continue to engage with the special envoy and leaders in the community, the Jewish community, about the way forward on that,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the ABC.

PM vows to take action

Albanese today announced a raft of new government actions to build on Segal’s plan.

“The Australian government adopts and fully supports the plan to combat antisemitism,” Albanese said.

“Firstly, the Attorney General and Minister for Home Affairs will develop a package of legislative reforms to crack down on those who spread hate, division and radicalisation.”

The National Security Committee has agreed that the changes will cover five points:

“The Minister for Home Affairs will also have new powers to cancel or reject visas for those who spread hate and division in this country, or would do so if they were allowed to come here,” Albanese added.

Antisemitism in Australia

Segal’s report labelled Australia’s escalating rates of antisemitism as a “national crisis”.

It claimed episodes of antisemitism soared by 700 per cent in October-November 2023 after the October 7 attacks by Hamas compared to the previous year.

And from October 2023 to September 2024, Segal said antisemitic incidents surged by 316 per cent.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess declared antisemitism Australia’s leading threat to life in February this year.

If you have been impacted by the terror attack in Bondi there is support available.

To contact Lifeline Australia, call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14.

For people under 25 years old, you can contact Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800.

Both of these are available on a 24/7 basis.