Antisemitism envoy releases further proposals to combat antisemitism

In Australia, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will deliver its Final Report on 18 December 2026.  However, on 30 October 2026, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal AO, released an updated roadmap for combatting antisemitism which contains a number of urgent proposals.  Although it is designed to build on the plan the Australian Government adopted after the Bondi Beach terror attack, not all are happy with the proposals, particularly when it comes to the issue of Palestine and the left’s unrelenting criticism of Zionism.  

Although the roadmap outlines a number of priorities for the next phase in combatting antisemitism, let me focus on the two points which have received the most criticism: media oversight and visa applications.

Media Oversight 

The Special Envoy’s report calls for, “An independent ombudsman for Australia’s public broadcasters to ensure they are held accountable to their own stated standards of accuracy and impartiality.”  The public broadcasters in question are the Australian Broadcasting Service (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).  As publicly funded, free-to-air broadcasters, both are mandated to operate strictly according to legislation as follows:-

• The ABC Charter mandates that the broadcaster deliver programs which foster Australia’s national identity, provide information and entertainment, reflect the nation’s cultural diversity, and offer educational content.

• The SBS Charter outlines SBS’s principal role as delivering multilingual and multicultural broadcasting and digital media services that inform, educate, and entertain all Australians, while reflecting the nation’s multicultural society. It also mandates the SBS help meet the communication needs of Australia’s multicultural society, including ethnic communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

For some time now, Jewish groups have been raising serious concerns about how the ABC and SBS choose to cover Middle Eastern affairs.  Critics argue that the public broadcasters' reporting features a disproportionate focus on negative stories about Israel and fails to adequately address antisemitism.  The Special Envoy proposes that an external ombudsman be appointed to oversee reporting and complaints handling, ensuring that the broadcasters are held to a higher standard when it comes to the handling of legitimate complaints that might otherwise be buried internally because of entrenched bias. 

Not surprisingly, the proposal has been swiftly rejected by the broadcasters.  However, when it comes to the ABC, the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) issued a media release on 2 September 2026 indicating it had “…found that the ABC’s internal document designed to provide editorial direction and background for reporting on the Israeli–Palestinian dispute leads journalists away from the principles of accuracy, impartiality and fair treatment contained in the ABC’s statutory obligations and editorial policies.” 

While nobody is suggesting that we exempt the Israeli government from all legitimate criticism of its policy positions, it is reasonable to expect editorial standards that do not amplify antisemitic narratives and that is what this proposal intends to achieve.

Visa Applications

The report also urges the Australian Government to screen all visa applicants wanting to travel to Australia for “the risk of holding antisemitic views”.  Jillian Segal wrote, “It would be disingenuous not to acknowledge that a minority of migrants bring to Australia ingrained antisemitic views. This is often a function of migrating from countries or environments where antisemitism is commonplace and reinforced by political, religious, educational and cultural institutions or leadership.”  Although this should be an entirely reasonable suggestion, it has aggravated the Marxist-Islamist alliance.  

In a recent radio interview on 2GB, Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said that Segal’s decision to draw attention to “far-left antisemitism” was “insightful and courageous”.  He went on to say that, “Antisemitism comes from different facets of society, but with the far left, it’s laced in this dishonesty. It’s packaged in the language of human rights, of compassion, and peace, and progressivism, but actually, they repurpose classic neo-Nazi antisemitic tropes.” 

What Does the Bible Say?

Although it grieves us to see it, what is obvious is that the nations of the world are turning against Israel as prophesied.  Before the blessed dawn of Jewish redemption awakens and the times of the Gentiles concludes, Israel must endure the final dark hour prophesied long ago.  But although the nations believe they are simply fighting Israel, they are really waging war against the God of Israel.  Will they succeed in their plan to conquer Israel?  Scripture gives a resounding NO!  To confirm that, let me end with Psalm 132:13-18: For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.  I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.  I will also clothe her priests with salvation.  And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.  There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.  His enemies I will clothe with shame.  But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.