Australia's Antisemitism Envoy Proposes External Ombudsman to Monitor ABC and SBS Coverage of Israel and the Middle East

Australia's federal antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, 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, Segal said Australia's two public broadcasters should be subjected to greater oversight.

"Given the extent and seriousness of concerns about subjective, inaccurate and disproportionate reporting in accordance with its own standards, it would be in the public interest for the public broadcasters' coverage and approach to be the subject of more detailed analysis and independent review," Segal wrote in the new ASECA Priorities plan.

The plan 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 to an "external independent ombudsman consistent with other sectors such as telecommunications and banking".

"Many in the Jewish community remain concerned that coverage they perceive as one-directional may contribute to a negative - and even hostile - view by audiences of those who support Israel, or have sympathy for it," Segal wrote. "Jewish Australians have reported being abused, harassed and accused of being 'baby killers' or supporters of 'genocide' simply for their belief in the right of Israel to exist."

"That perception of a link between coverage and hostility is itself a matter of public importance," she wrote. Segal said she had received "many expressions of concern from the Australian Jewish community" about ABC and SBS reporting perceived to be "disproportionate, misleading or inaccurate on issues relating to Israel and the conflict in the Middle East".

The special envoy'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 antisemitism 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, saying she held concerns about "the tone [and] the frequency of reporting about Gaza from the ABC". She defended evidence she gave to the royal commission, during which she criticised SBS for quoting death toll figures provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, saying those figures failed to distinguish combatants from civilians, were "grossly inflated", and their inflation was "well known and even accepted by the United Nations".

A spokesperson for the UN secretary general responded at the time: "For us [the UN] the Ministry of Health in Gaza is a source we, and many others, often cite. Independent validation of subsets of the data has found no significant discrepancies in their numbers." Segal told the hearing: "I note the United Nations views. I accept the United Nations views because they are the United Nations but that does not detract from the concerns of the Jewish community as conveyed to me about the way in which the reporting had been done."

Friday's report argues publicly funded arts organisations should be able to impose "enforceable conditions" on artists and terminate grants if they promoted antisemitism. It states that all arts organisations - private and public - should develop policies to govern the use of their venues, festivals and stages, and 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 were "not about silencing criticism of Israel".

The report argues that "modern 'progressive' antisemitism" is the most pervasive form of the prejudice in Australia today. Segal said Islamic extremism, far-left and far-right antisemitism were still prevalent "and they require vigilance and laws that are properly enforced", but the form leaving Jewish Australians increasingly anxious and excluded was the one that had taken root in influential institutions, where Jewish Australians were being discriminated against, blamed and vilified for the actions of the government of the state of Israel.