ANTHONY ALBANESE MP, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much for joining us and today I'm joined by Minister Tony Burke and also Jillian Segal, the Special Envoy to myself on antisemitism. Antisemitism is an evil scourge. There is no place in Australia for antisemitism. The kind of hatred and violence that we’ve seen on our streets recently is despicable, and it won’t be tolerated. And I want those responsible to face the full force of the law. My Government has taken a series of actions to crack down on antisemitism, and one of the things that we did last year, a year ago, was to appoint Jillian Segal as the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. And can I thank Jillian very much for one - taking on the position, and secondly - for the extraordinary work that she has done. And today I’m joining with Jillian to launch her plan to further combat antisemitism. And I welcome this report, and I thank her for the work that she has done. Jillian has put a lot of work into this report, which finds that antisemitism has risen to deeply troubling levels in Australia in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East. But it also of course reaffirms the fact that antisemitism didn’t begin on 7 October. And therefore, it isn’t like two weeks extra paid parental leave, where you pass a piece of legislation and it’s done, it comes in on 1 July. This is something that Government needs to work with civil society on at all levels, and each and every day, and every week, and every month, and every year, to make sure that antisemitism is pushed to the margins, to the fringes of extremism where it doesn’t belong. We’d like it to disappear altogether. We’ll now carefully consider the report recommendations. There’s a number of things in here that we’re doing. There’s a number of things that can be implemented quickly. There are a number of things that will require work over a period of time. Part of the recommendations is that we will receive an annual report, and part of that will be an assessment of progress on these issues as well. But I want to thank Jillian, and I want to thank the many members of the community, both the Jewish community and outside as well, who’ve worked really constructively on this report. And I’d ask Jillian to make some comments. We’ll then hear from Minister Burke, and then we’ll be happy to take questions on this or other things. Jillian?
JILLIAN SEGAL, SPECIAL ENVOY TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: Thank you, Prime Minister. And good morning, everyone. And I want to thank the Prime Minister and Minister Burke for being here today. I've worked closely with both of them since my appointment. And I thank them for their ongoing commitment to the Jewish community and their commitment to work with me to help deliver this plan, where I will need their help. Today, I'm proud that the Prime Minister's launched it, and it is, as he said, a plan – the Envoy's Plan – to combat one of the world's oldest hatreds - antisemitism. And we know that it is a hatred based on myths and tropes over the centuries, and it has shape-shifted, spanning religion, race and Zionism. And it's almost exactly a year since I was appointed as Special Envoy, and in that period I have established the Office in Sydney and Melbourne, and recruited a small team. And we started work on this plan over nine months ago. We've conducted research, we've consulted with community, I've spoken to other envoys all over the world who already have strategic plans in place. So, a number of the initiatives are well underway, and we've had to engage in those initiatives in response to events, such as a huge focus on universities and on law reform that has already been undertaken by both Commonwealth and State Governments.
The plan is grounded in Australian values. It's proactive and it's adapted to our Federal legal framework. As we know, as the Prime Minister said, antisemitism is not new, and it didn't start with the Hamas terrorist attack on the 7th of October. But we have seen a very troubling, deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents and behaviour at home since then. In the space of just one year, reported incidents increased over 300 per cent, and that includes threats, vandalism, harassment and physical violence. We've seen cars being torched, synagogues being torched, individual Jews harassed and attacked, and that is completely unacceptable. In this last week, as you all know, we've seen the terrible events in Melbourne, including not only an attempt to burn down a synagogue, a place of worship, but diners being attacked by a violent group breaking away from a street demonstration protest. These are not isolated events, and they form part of a broader pattern of intimidation and violence that is making Jewish Australians feel very unsafe. And this should concern every Australian, because the safety and dignity of one community affects us all.
The plan is an overarching one, covering many areas where urgent action is needed. I'd just like to briefly review some of the steps and some of the steps already taken, because the plan today builds on a foundation of actions. It brings structure, though – priorities and accountability – to our national response. And it's not a symbolic document; it's an Action Plan, and it addresses antisemitism in many places in our laws, classrooms, universities, media, workplaces, online spaces and public institutions. And it calls on Government and societal leaders to support the initiatives.
In addition to measures to counter antisemitism, there is also the positive side that it looks at, and that is increasing the vibrancy of Jewish life. And I think that is a very important part we should remember. And that is where it comes into the cultural space, it comes into museums, it comes into part of what makes us Australian. And we need to work on that as well.
So, a couple of details, and then the plan will be available for everyone to see. It'll be on the ASECA website almost right now. So, we will work with State and Federal Governments to ensure our laws reflect the values and our way of life. And we will look at whether it is now necessary to strengthen hate crime legislation, including provisions relating to not only incitement and vilification, and prohibitive symbols, which we have, but actual hatred, and the speaking of hatred, and demonstrated hatred. We need to look at this. And so, I look forward to working with the various Attorneys-General. Police, prosecutors and the judiciary will be supported with training to apply the laws and understand antisemitism. A national hate crime database, which has already been announced by the government, is in the process of being established which will improve reporting, monitoring and transparency. And publicly-funded institutions like universities, cultural bodies and broadcasters will be expected to uphold consistent standards, and demonstrate accountability in fighting antisemitism. But education is central. It shapes not only what young Australians know, but how they think and how they treat others. And the plan promotes a nationally consistent approach to teaching about the history, harms, and modern forms of antisemitism through the lens of democracy, social inclusion, shared civic responsibility and Australian values. We have to embed age appropriate education into our school curriculum. We need to support professional development of teachers and public servants. We need to promote cultural understanding, back trusted voices online, and encourage responsible media reporting. But education is the key. But lastly, this plan is a whole of society plan. It's not just Government. It will need the support of Government. We need leadership from Government, but we need society. Businesses, unions, sporting codes, community associations will be invited and encouraged to take part in this national effort. And universities will continue to be held accountable for improvements. Digital platforms will be engaged directly, both through engagement that my office has had already, and through other envoys, because this is an international issue and it is one that the envoys around the world are working on together. Critically, the plan supports the safety, visibility, and contribution of Australia's Jewish communities, so that no Australian feels the need to hide who they are and withdraw from public life. And as the Prime Minister said, given its age-old heritage, we cannot hope to really abolish antisemitism, but we can push it to the margins of society. It must not be considered acceptable. It's not normal to behave like that. We must restore the harmony we all seek and ensure that no community is marginalised.
I'd like to acknowledge just a few people. The leadership and dedication of Australia's major Jewish community organisations with whom I've consulted on many aspects of the plan, and who have supported my work to date. Their dedication, advocacy and wisdom, I know, have been invaluable to the community, and I look forward to working with them to deliver this plan. Their support will be critical. Let me be clear, in conclusion, the plan is not about special treatment for one community. It is about restoring equal treatment. It is about ensuring that every Australian, regardless of their background or belief, can live, work, learn and prosper in this country. And the plan is not about words. It is about actions by Government, by regulators, by business, by universities, and by institutions. And I'm sure that with collective action, antisemitism can and will be successfully confronted. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much, Jillian. Minister Burke.
TONY BURKE MP, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: Thanks, Prime Minister. And from myself and from the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly, can I offer our very sincere thanks to Jillian Segal. There is a mountain of work that has gone into this, and it's a mountain of work that carries a pathway forward for something that is an absolute core objective of the Government. We want people to be safe and to feel safe. Being safe and feeling safe is something which antisemitism flies in the face of. And while we might think of this only in terms of some of the more dramatic, violent incidents which we've seen, feeling safe and being safe goes deeper than that. Yes, it does mean you should be able to attend a shul or a synagogue without fear of arson. It means you should be able to park your car, or go into your home without fear of a graffiti attack. It means that you should be able to go to school without worrying about what your uniform might say about your heritage or your faith. It means that you should be able to be an arts worker without worrying whether or not a venue might cancel you at the last minute. It means you should be able to go to university, freely displaying your faith in your background without any other concerns. It means you should never think twice about your name when you're applying for a job. That's what it looks like when we have a nation where people can feel safe in every way. We all wish that we could have a plan for the obliteration of antisemitism. History has a very different and sad message, but this is about pushing it absolutely to the margins, because this form of bigotry is absolutely an attack on Australia.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much, Tony. We're happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you believe that the anti-Israel protest movement is building the kind of anti-Jewish attacks we've seen in Melbourne recently? And if so, what needs to be done about this?
PRIME MINISTER: Just to be very clear, in Israel itself, as a democracy, there is protest against actions of the government. And in a democracy, you should be able to express your view here in Australia about events overseas. Where the line has been crossed is in blaming and identifying people because they happen to be Jewish. If you have a view about the directions of the Netanyahu Government, or any other government for that matter. So, I saw on the ABC the other night, a woman who participated in the trashing and violence that occurred at the restaurant in Melbourne. Justifying that, justifying it. There is no justification for that whatsoever. And what's more, the idea that somehow the cause of justice for Palestinians is advanced by behaviour like that is not only delusional, it is destructive. And it is not consistent with how you are able to put forward your views respectfully in a democracy. So, regardless of your views on the Middle East, and there are a range of views across Australian society, put forward those views respectfully, peacefully, orderly. Do not target individuals in the way that it has occurred. And the circumstances were to be explicit about one of the issues that Tony has raised. There are Jewish students who have been attacked, vilified, abused because of their identification by someone – by a perpetrator – for being Jewish. That has no place whatsoever in Australia. It undermines our multiculturalism. And one of the things that I regard as Australia's strength is that we can be a microcosm for the world. That shows that people in my local community overwhelmingly live side by side of Jewish, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. That is a strength of our society. It's something we should cherish. One of the recommendations that Jillian has included in here, in this report, speaks about multi-faith dialogue, and overwhelmingly, I've been participant in interfaith dialogues in the inner west of Sydney and the dialogue respectfully that has occurred with rabbis, priests, ministers, stands in stark contrast with the behaviour, which is criminal behaviour. Criminal behaviour should be identified as such, should be prosecuted as such as well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the noble aim to push antisemitism to the fringes seems more difficult when platforms with a very large reach like X make structural changes that promote antisemitic views, even create antisemitic views, in the case of X's AI, Grok. Do you think that the platforms are good faith partners in this fight against antisemitism and what will you do to crack down on antisemitic speech on and via the platforms?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll ask Jillian to comment on this as well, but can I say very clearly once again, something I have said in a range of contexts, which is that social media has a social responsibility. Social media has a social responsibility. And they need to be held to account. If you look at any one of my posts, I could post about a meeting with Prime Minister Rabuka at the Rugby Union and the relationship between Australia and Fiji, and I will have comments in the comment piece that I often try not to look at. But if you look at any single one of my posts, you will have decorations that are certainly antisemitic, and they have nothing to do with the posts which are there. Some of those are no doubt produced by bots, but some of those are produced by individuals as well, which is why so much of this report as well goes to education. Jillian?
SEGAL: Well, thank you, Prime Minister. I think you put your finger on it that we need to understand how to deal with the platforms as well, how to convey to them their social responsibility. There's a whole section in my plan dealing with social media and the envoys – not all envoys, obviously around the world, but a significant group of them, including myself – have met with the platforms on a number of occasions. We have an ongoing dialogue with them. And you wouldn't be surprised to hear that they orally say, 'we are against antisemitism. We, you know, have our algorithms and our methods with AI to stop it, et cetera.' And they are motivated to do that, but obviously they are very far from succeeding. So, it's an ongoing piece of work, but it is work that has to be done by each country, but also countries coming together. And that's one of my things.
PRIME MINISTER: Hang on. We do it in order, not in order of yelling. Yourself, then here, then here, then here, then here. Then there. So, we now have order. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is the Government committing to Ms Segal’s plan in full? If I may, a question for both the Prime Minister and Ms Segal. How will you ensure this plan does not prevent legitimate criticisms of Israel, including from Jewish Australians and other parties?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we welcome the plan, to be very clear. Some of the plan requires a long-term approach. Some of it requires action by State Governments, some of it requires action by society, by the people watching this media conference as well. What we'll do is work constructively with the Envoy. This isn't something that is, okay, on 10 July, you know, done, tick, and we move on. This will be a process. My Government has committed to working constructively and engaging. And one of the things that Jillian and I have done – we met last week, last Monday. We meet regularly, and we work together. That's why we've established this as well. And regarding legitimate criticism of Israel, as you’d be aware, I have released statements with other leaders that have been critical of the actions of the Netanyahu Government. I will continue to put forward a position that is consistent with the position that we have taken on the Middle East. But you can put forward those views respectfully. Respectfully. And those criticisms are also made, it might be said, by people in Israel. There are demonstrations in Israel that are bigger than any of the demonstrations that have been held in Australia. That's a good thing in a democracy, but it's a good thing if it's done in a respectful and clear way. And we'll continue, I've been an advocate of two states in the Middle East for my entire political life. I've been consistent. I will continue to be consistent. I will continue to support the right of Israel to exist within secure boundaries, and I will continue to support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own state. But I will continue to oppose terrorist organisations like Hamas. I'll continue to speak out on the need for aid into Gaza and for humanitarian concerns. I'll continue to speak out for the release of hostages. I'll continue to advocate both – I don't say one thing when I speak to people in the Israeli government and a different thing publicly. I speak in a way that is consistent, that is consistent also with what I think is Australian values, certainly the values that the Australian government holds. And from time to time that has meant I've had criticism from different perspectives. I'll deal with that, but I'll deal with it by being open and upfront about that. But whatever your issue in the Middle East, it is not advanced by attacking people here in Australia because of who they are, because of their faith, because of their identity. It's completely unacceptable. And I, frankly, you know, have also been – obviously, the targeting hasn't been just at the Jewish community. You know, what my staff and what my constituents have had to put up with in Marrickville, people being denied support on social security, on Medicare, on why people go to a local MP's office. How does that advance the cause which the proponents purport to stand for? It undermines them. It alienates people, quite rightly, because most Australians are fair. Most Australians want people to just get on and they don't want conflict brought here. People have a right to say their views, but they do not have a right to bring conflict here and to bring violence here from any perspective.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when we talk about, you know, funding being withdrawn over antisemitism, can we see that happening to art bodies, universities, within the year?
BURKE: These issues get taken into account in different ways already by Creative Australia. And there are different principles that are expected in the cultural policy that already go to some of this, so to say, ‘will you see examples of it within a year,’ I think you will be able to, if you go back, you’ll find – we don't announce the ones we don't fund, if I put it in those terms. But certainly, a very careful lens is put on these things. The concept from this report, though, about making sure that that is clearly articulated to the different decision makers and things like that, is something that's already possible, and something that there are extra actions that can be taken as a result of this report. But I wouldn't like to put a deadline on something where there are examples of where we're already doing it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, one of your favourite terms last year was social cohesion. We don't hear that much anymore about it. And the Special Envoy for that, Peter Khalil, that position, has been scrapped. Have you solved social cohesion? Is that what we're moving towards now where the focus is solely on antisemitism rather than bringing multicultural communities together? And the second question that I had, comments regarding Marco Rubio's sanctions of Francesca Albanese's scathing report of Israel called ‘The Economy of Genocide’. Thoughts on that?
PRIME MINISTER: On social cohesion, I'll make two points. Peter Khalil got a promotion. He's now an Assistant Minister and is a member of the executive. On the social cohesion, Multicultural Affairs is now in the cabinet with Dr Anne Aly, an expert, and someone who has a wide range of experience as someone who's spoken and participated in United Nations bodies, et cetera. Anne Aly – the promotion of multicultural affairs from a junior minister into the Cabinet was a conscious decision by me not to diminish social cohesion, but to raise it.
SEGAL: Can I just add one comment though? Minister Aly is just not here because she's on leave, but she and I have discussed the report. We've gone through it in great detail together, and she is committed to supporting and working on the various issues.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Jewish community has been experiencing these antisemitic attacks for close to two years now. Why is it that it took another arson attack on the synagogues to adopt some of these?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it didn't, is the answer to that. It didn't.
SEGAL: No, absolutely. As I said, this report has been in the drafting for about nine months, okay? It's my report. It's taken a lot of time because there have been other things happening like parliamentary inquiries, new legislation has been passed, et cetera. So, this is now bringing it all together. But it's sad that the timing is this. I wish it hadn't been that we had the events in Melbourne, but I think it just felt further illustrates the importance of adopting the report now.
PRIME MINISTER: And to be clear, we talked about it last week. There were – I mean I had a personal – I was at a funeral, speaking, at a friend of mine’s funeral yesterday and before then we had Cabinet. We wanted to do it today. We scheduled before the events of last week, to be clear and explicit.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what are the metrics of success regarding this report? Exactly at what point should it be deemed successful?
PRIME MINISTER: It will be successful when Australia is the sort of country that I want to see each and every day, where students can go to school without any fear, where cultural diversity and expression is flourishing, where people can engage with each other and be enriched by the diversity that is our society. You know, we have a great privilege in this country of being able to – you don't have to leave our shores of our island continent to experience what the world has to offer, to experience different cultures, to respect people's different faiths. It's a strength of us, and where we can once again say to the world that we are a country that is one which is a microcosm for the model that we want to see. There's a lot of trouble in the world and a lot of conflict, some which gets more publicity than others. There's conflict in Africa that is devastating, that doesn't get as much publicity. There is, of course, the Middle East and there's a Russian aggression in Ukraine. You know, this won't be job done. This is a process and it's a process towards the sort of inclusive society that I know most Australians want to see and be driven, regardless of their faith.
SEGAL: No, I agree completely. But we will be doing a report at the end of the first year of the plan, the second year of my position, and then at the third year. So, we will have a series of measures that my office will develop or has half developed already, and they will go to behaviour at universities, how Jewish students feel, the issue at schools, how much education we can roll out, all the areas that we're looking at. We'll try to measure our improvements and report on it.
JOURNALIST: Just a question on trade. Given that Trump intends to put a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals, which is Australia's third biggest export to the US, is the government now considering using either its planned local content quotas on streaming services or the News Media Bargaining Code as potential bargaining chips to protect pharma exports? And for your trip to China, will pharmaceutical companies be joining the trade delegation as part of that?
PRIME MINISTER: The BCA are organising the trade delegation which will depart – well, I will depart Australia on Saturday. There'll be a range of activities in Shanghai. There'll be businesses travelling from Australia, but also ones that are Australian businesses based in China. There's a very successful Chamber of Commerce, for example, there in Shanghai, and I look forward to the visit. On trade and tariffs, we are continuing to engage in the national interest with the United States, but I've made it very clear that the issues, such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the Media Bargaining Code, that's about not a tax, that is about journalists being paid for the work that they do, and our bio laws to protect our agricultural interest, are not on the table for negotiations. They're a part of who Australia is, so we'll continue to engage. We, of course, want to – my government has made considerable effort to make medicines cheaper for Australians and they will be $25, the same price that they were in 2004. That's a good thing. And we've frozen the cost of medicines for people on concessions to $7.70 until the end of the decade. That's a good thing. That's what Australians voted for on the 3rd of May, and they voted for it in substantial numbers. Parliament will resume in about 11 or 12 days’ time now, and when people see the House of Representatives, that will be reflected in that. And so, we'll continue to engage constructively. Of course, I've said that for some time now. I'm not going to give a running commentary on the day-to-day issues. What we will do though, is to engage constructively.
JOURNALIST: Just back on antisemitism. I guess my question is how did you get here? We're having Special Envoys to Antisemitism, seeing rising racial vilification, cultural vilification. Do you think we're becoming more intolerant of each other's views as a society? And we’re losing the ability to have a debate?
PRIME MINISTER: I think there's a very good question, and thank you for it. Look, I, I think there is an impact of social media where algorithms work to reinforce people's views. We recently had an election on the 3rd May. If you look at the views, there are people who were shocked by the outcome - I wasn't. People who think that everyone agreed with certain perspectives across a range of issues, including on this. I think that the actions of the Greens political party alienated so many people. For example, I know in my own electorate, people coming up to me saying, why is there this blockade on Marrickville Road about the Middle East conflict? How does that work? And the views, I have no doubt of some of the people participating in that, they would have been encouraged and told that everyone is with them, because that's the way the algorithms work. They reinforce views and they push people towards extremes, whether it be extreme left, extreme right. Australians want a country that is in the centre that has different views, that we debate respectfully, and have dialogue respectfully. You know, criticism of Israel is legitimate, as is criticism of the Palestinian Authority and their failure to have democratic elections, and some of the corruption that has occurred. That's not a slight. That's a debate that you're allowed to have, and put forward your views respectfully. And I must say there are a range of people across communities here who were able to have respectful dialogue, and that's a good thing. You know, I think that this is a question that we have. I mean, I, one of the things, the reason why education is important – I have had people say to me that Jewish people came to Israel in 1948, that that's where history began. And, you know, you just sort of go, 'wow'. Same as, I have had people tell me there's no such thing as a Palestinian. Both views are just not comprehensible, frankly. So, we need to, I think, assert, and part of this process is asserting the need for respectful discussion. You know, if, if you go back and look at the motion I went as part of, after I met with Jillian last week, I went and had a look at the motion that was carried in the Parliament unanimously, before various people chose to try to make, from different perspectives, a politicisation of it. I think it stands pretty much the test of time. I'm quite pleased that the Parliament adopted a strong position that was bipartisan, and somehow along the way this should be, and I hope this report is not politicised. I don't want this to be a partisan, I want everyone to say, ‘yep, might not agree with absolutely everything in here, but it's something we can work with’, something that points a direction. And inevitably, when you have, this is the Special Envoy’s report. It's substantial. It's a substantial body of work. But it provides a real basis for going forward, which is why we welcome it. Jillian, thank you.
SEGAL: If I can just comment. I also think it was an excellent question. And when my report speaks of education, and in the discussions I've already had with some departments and with university vice chancellors, is not just about education on the history of the Middle East, or education about antisemitism. It is education, about how to have civil dialogue - and we've lost that. And I think it behoves our educational institutions at school, before people grow up, to have such definitive views shaped by social media, to have a respectful dialogue. So, that is, I think, something our society absolutely needs.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much. I think that's a great one to end on. Thank you.