SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Australian Jewish leaders are calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to renew Jillian Segal’s appointment as the country’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, as the government faces renewed scrutiny over its response to escalating threats against the Jewish community.
The appeal, reported Sept. 6, comes as Segal’s current tenure approaches its conclusion and follows warnings from Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Mike Burgess about the handling of intelligence and security concerns before the 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
Albanese has previously indicated that the special envoy position should become permanent. His government, however, had not announced whether Segal herself would be reappointed.
Jewish leaders argue continuity is particularly important as Australia confronts what authorities have described as a serious and persistent antisemitism problem.
Segal was appointed Australia’s first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in July 2024. Her role includes engaging with Jewish communities, advising the government and developing strategies to address antisemitism across Australian institutions and society.
Jewish Leaders Call For Continuity
The push to retain Segal comes amid a broader debate over whether Australia responded quickly or forcefully enough to warnings about antisemitism and politically motivated violence.
Burgess, Australia’s domestic intelligence chief, has said ASIO repeatedly warned about rising antisemitism and the potential for politically motivated violence before the Bondi Beach attack.
His comments have intensified questions about how governments, institutions and law enforcement agencies interpreted and acted upon those warnings.
The debate has particular resonance for Australia’s Jewish community, which has faced threats, vandalism, harassment and attacks against Jewish institutions since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel and the subsequent war.
Jewish organizations have repeatedly called for antisemitism to be treated not only as a community relations issue but also, where warranted, as a public safety and national security concern.
The campaign to renew Segal’s appointment is an institutional response to those concerns. It does not represent a new antisemitic incident.
Segal Developed National Antisemitism Plan
Segal’s tenure has included developing a national plan aimed at confronting antisemitism across education, government, cultural institutions, online platforms, and other areas of Australian society.
In July 2025, she presented the federal government with a Plan to Combat Antisemitism that proposed measures across multiple sectors.
The recommendations included strengthening education about antisemitism, improving responses to antisemitic conduct at universities, addressing online hatred and examining whether public funding should continue to flow to institutions that fail to adequately address antisemitism.
The plan generated political debate, including disagreements over particular recommendations and the appropriate balance between combating hatred and protecting freedom of expression.
For Jewish community organizations, however, Segal’s office established a dedicated federal mechanism focused specifically on antisemitism at a time when concerns about Jewish safety were increasing.
Albanese has subsequently expressed support for making the envoy position permanent, signalling that the government sees an ongoing role for a dedicated federal representative on antisemitism.
The unresolved question is whether Segal will remain in that position.
Security Warnings Under Renewed Scrutiny
The latest calls for Segal’s reappointment come against the backdrop of renewed examination of Australia’s security environment before the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December 2025.
Burgess’s comments have raised questions about whether repeated warnings from ASIO concerning antisemitism, extremism and politically motivated violence received sufficient attention.
Australia had already experienced a series of serious incidents targeting Jewish individuals and institutions before the Bondi attack.
Those incidents contributed to growing concern within the Jewish community that hostility toward Jews and Israel was moving beyond inflammatory rhetoric and into intimidation, property attacks and physical violence.
Australian authorities have also investigated foreign involvement in some antisemitic activity.
In August 2025, Albanese announced that Australian intelligence agencies had concluded Iran was behind at least two antisemitic attacks in Australia, including an arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and an attack on a Jewish-owned restaurant in Sydney.
Australia subsequently moved to expel Iran’s ambassador and take additional diplomatic action.
Those developments strengthened arguments from Jewish organizations that antisemitism must be addressed through a combination of law enforcement, intelligence, education and government policy.
Envoy Position Could Become Permanent
Australia established the antisemitism envoy position in 2024 as governments in several countries were expanding institutional responses to rising hatred against Jews.
Segal, a lawyer and former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, was appointed to the role for an initial term.
Her position gives the federal government a dedicated adviser whose mandate focuses on antisemitism and its impact on Jewish Australians.
Albanese has previously indicated that he believes the role should continue permanently.
Making the office permanent would separate the position’s future from the question of who occupies it.
Jewish leaders now want the government to resolve both issues by institutionalizing the role and renewing Segal’s appointment.
No final government decision had been announced as of Sept. 6.
The request therefore remains a community appeal rather than a confirmed appointment.
For Australian Jewish organizations, the argument for continuity comes down to the scale and persistence of the challenge.
After more than two years of heightened concern over antisemitism, repeated security warnings and attacks against Jewish targets, community leaders are pressing the Albanese government to ensure that combating antisemitism remains a permanent and clearly defined federal responsibility.
Whether Segal will continue leading that effort now rests with the prime minister and his government.
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