Publicly funded institutions, including arts bodies and universities, risk losing government support if they fail to address anti-Semitism, under new measures recommended in a landmark report by Special Envoy Jillian Segal.
Unveiled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, and Segal in Sydney, the report outlines stricter expectations for organisations receiving federal funding to demonstrate accountability in combating anti-Semitism.
Burke said the government already held the power to withhold funding, but the guidelines would now be more clearly articulated to decision-makers.
“The concept from this report is about making sure that that is clearly articulated,” Mr Burke said.
“You will find we don’t announce the ones we don’t fund.”
The report follows a dramatic 300 per cent rise in reported anti-Semitic incidents in Australia over the past year. “Antisemitism didn’t begin on October 7,” Albanese said.
“It must be pushed to the margins where it belongs.”
Segal called for broader reforms, including stronger application and potential expansion of anti-hate laws, increased education from teacher training to student learning, and specific training for police and the judiciary to better understand anti-Semitism.
She warned that “accountability” was now expected from universities, broadcasters, and other public institutions.
Albanese condemned incidents of anti-Semitic abuse online and on university campuses.
“Where the line has been crossed is in blaming and identifying people because they happen to be Jewish,” he said. “That’s unacceptable.”
Segal’s report comes days after a synagogue and an Israeli restaurant were attacked in Melbourne.
The government said it would implement some recommendations immediately, while others would require sustained, long-term effort.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
