The federal government’s anti-semitism envoy has proposed an “external independent ombudsman” to monitor ABC and SBS coverage of the war in Gaza, as well as codes for arts organisations to limit “personal political or ideological activism”. In an updated plan released on Friday, Jillian Segal said Australia’s two public broadcasters should be subjected to greater oversight. It suggests a government-appointed panel review the public broadcasters’ previous reporting and states the government should consider “transferring” responsibilities from the ABC and SBS ombudsmen.
Those powers would be transferred to an “external independent ombudsman consistent with other sectors such as telecommunications and banking”. The special envoy to combat antisemitism’s initial plan, released in mid-2025, said the envoy would “work with the publicly funded broadcasters to encourage them to develop programs that add to social cohesion”. Segal then told the royal commission into antisemtism in mid-2026 she wanted a new “oversight” committee that could give ABC and SBS coverage a “tick” or “guidance”.
The broadcasters rejected calls for external oversight. The royal commission was established in response to the Bondi beach massacre in December when 15 people were killed during a Hanukah celebration. Segal appeared before Senate estimates this week, telling senators she held concerns about “the tone [and] the frequency of reporting about Gaza from the ABC”.
Friday’s report proposes that all visa applicants wanting to travel to Australia should be assessed for “the risk of holding 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. The envoy states that all arts organisations – private and public – should develop policies to govern the use of their venues, festivals, and stages “or artists’ personal political or ideological activism outside the scope of the advertised show, performance or exhibition”.
Similarly for universities, the envoy’s updated plan proposes allowing grant authorities to impose enforceable conditions on academics, allowing “for the termination of grant funding … where the recipient engages in antisemitic speech or conduct”. Segal said the proposals outlined in the plan were “not about silencing criticism of Israel”. The report argues that “modern ‘progressive’ antisemitism” was the most pervasive form of the prejudice in Australia today.
Segal said Islamic extremism, far-left and far-right antisemitism were prevalent “and they require vigilance and laws that are properly enforced”. The progressive Jewish Council of Australia on Friday criticised the envoy’s plan as “Trumpian”, arguing it was a “dangerous and ideologically driven roadmap that threatens freedom of speech, academic freedom and democratic rights, while failing to meaningfully address the causes of antisemitism”. The council said the envoy’s claims about “progressive antisemitism” verged on “conspiratorial”.
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