EXCLUSIVE
ANTHONY KLAN
Embattled Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal is refusing to tell the Senate whether she disclosed she was a senior official of a pro-Israel lobby group before taking the high-profile government role.
It can further be revealed the lobby group, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, quietly changed its bio for Segal after The Klaxon exclusively revealed she remained one of its top office holders.
Following The Klaxon’s expose, Segal was in October asked by Senate estimates whether she had declared any conflicts before taking the Antisemitism Envoy role, and if so what she declared.
Segal is refusing to say.
In her written response, Segal has refused to answer the questions, stating only: “The Envoy declared any conflicts of interest as required”.
Segal has also refused to directly answer whether she still has any role in the ECAJ, or, if not, when she finished all her roles at the ECAJ.
“The ECAJ has quietly changed Segal’s bio”
Segal was the President of the ECAJ, for four years until 2023, which critics say is a major conflict and should have disqualified her from the Antisemitism Envoy role.
On September 19 The Klaxon revealed Segal was a current — not former — top office holder of the ECAJ, and had been at all times since being appointed Antisemitism Envoy in July 2024.
Segal — as widely reported, including by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in announcing her appointment — is the immediate past president of the ECAJ.
The Klaxon revealed Segal is also the “Immediate Past President” of the ECAJ — which is an official, top-level role at the ECAJ.
Segal held that role at the time she was appointed Antisemitism Envoy and at all times since.
That role is so central to the ECAJ, it is written into the lobby group’s constitution.
Alongside the “Immediate Past President”, the ECAJ has just five office bearers: the President, Deputy President, Treasurer and Secretary.
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The ECAJ’s office bearers include the position of “Immediate Past President”. Source: ECAJ Constitution
The highly-partisan, pro-Israel ECAJ has lobbied for crackdowns on protestors; heavily criticised the Albanese Government’s recognition of the Palestinian state; and heavily criticised United Nations Commission of Inquiry findings that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
As Antisemitism Envoy, Segal has taken extreme stances, such as calling for pro-Palestinian demonstrations to be “banned” from Australia’s inner cities; for sweeping new speech laws; to “monitor” media; and for funding to universities to be cut if they did not act against “antisemitism”.
Critics say Segal is deliberately conflating legitimate criticism of the State of Israel with genuine antisemitism, to silence critics of Israel.
“Critics say Segal is working to silence critics of the State of Israel”
The Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in October — following The Klaxon’s expose — formally asked Segal:
“Do you still have any role at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry”.
In her response, Segal does not disclose that she remains one of the lobby group’s top office holders.
Instead, Segal has responded only: “Ms Segal ended her ECAJ Presidency on 26 November 2023, at the completion of her term”.
The Committee also asked Segal: “When did you finish all your roles at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry?”
Again Segal has not answered the question.
“Again Segal has not answered the question”
She has responded only: “Upon her appointment as the Special Envoy, she specifically withdrew from any authority or decision making power within the organisation”.
Segal was appointed Antisemitism Envoy in July 2024.
Neither Segal or the ECAJ made any statement about her remaining in a senior role at the ECAJ — or that she had withdrawn from “any authority or decision making power within the organisation”.
According the the ECAJ’s constitution, the “Immediate Past President” is responsible for leading the lobby group’s “Committee of Management”, which formulates its “policy and direction”.
The Klaxon can now reveal that, sometime after our September 19 expose, the ECAJ changed Segal’s bio to include a sentence similar to the response she has now given the Senate Committee.
Her bio on the website now includes the sentence: “Since her appointment, Jillian has stepped aside from all duties as Immediate Past President of the ECAJ and has not played any part in any decision-making of the ECAJ”.
That statement was published at least 14 months after Segal was appointed Antisemitism Envoy.
Neither Segal or the ECAJ has provided any evidence to support the statement.
The Klaxon captured Segal’s ECAJ bio immediately before the September 19 expose. (It was also captured by internet archive WayBack Machine, most recently on September 6).
Segal’s ECAJ bio before September expose:
Segal ECAJ bio before The Klaxon’s September 19 expose. Source: ECAJ/Wayback Machine
Segal’s ECAJ bio now:
Segal’s ECAJ bio now, quietly changed sometime after The Klaxon’s September 19 expose. Source: ECAJ
Albanese’s statement announcing Segal’s appointment makes no mention of Segal having a current role at the ECAJ — only that her “extensive career spans decades” including as “former President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry”.
When contacted by The Klaxon, Albanese and his office refused to say if they had been aware Segal remained an office holder of the ECAJ when she was appointed Antisemitism Envoy.
Segal, born in South Africa, is a career lawyer.
Timeline:
2023: Segal ends as ECAJ President
2024, July: Albanese announces Segal as Antisemitism Envoy
2025, Sep: Revealed that Segal is a current ECAJ official
2025, Oct: Segal asked about any ECAJ role by Senate Committee
2025 (Sometime after Sep 19): ECAJ quietly changes Segal’s bio
2025, Dec: Segal refuses to answer key Senate Committee questions
Segal has consistently refused to respond to questions from The Klaxon over the past five months.
As previously reported, Segal is paid $1,070 a day as Antisemitism Envoy, and has appointed six staff in two offices, with the role costing taxpayers over $1 million a year.
Segal’s responses to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
As previously revealed, Segal last week misled the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Senate Committee over her failure to denounce last month’s neo-Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament House.
On July 10 Segal released a 20-page Antisemitism Report calling for an overhaul of Australian speech laws, including for funding to be cut from universities, charities and cultural bodies if they “enable or fail to act” against “antisemitism”.
More than 300 academics across the nation have signed an open letter calling for Segal’s report to be rejected, labelling it an “unprecedented attack” on academic freedom that is seeking to place higher education under “the control of a political lobby”.
“Seeking to place higher education under the control of a political lobby” — Academics
The Klaxon’s report Monday. Source: The Klaxon
On July 12 an expose by The Klaxon detailed how Segal’s family trust was one of the biggest funders of far-right political group “Advance”, which aggressively spreads hateful propaganda, bigoted imagery and racist tropes.
The expose prompted widespread calls for Segal to resign or be sacked as Antisemitism Envoy.
Albanese, who stood next to Segal as she delivered her 20-page “Antisemitism Plan” on July 10, has gone silent since.
The Prime Minister and his office previously refused to respond when asked whether Segal had Albanese’s full support.
Tony Bourke, Jillian Segal and Anthony Albanese last Thursday, launching Segal’s 20-page report. Source: AAP Image/ Dan Himbrechts
Last month, nine Australian Jewish organisations, including the Jewish Council of Australia, published an open letter calling on Albanese to reject Segal’s plan.
Segal’s Antisemitism plan was an attack on Australia’s “democracy” and “freedoms” — benefiting the state of Israel — and Segal should not be given “any enforcement or monitoring powers”, it states.
“We call on the government to reject (Segal’s) plan” — Jewish groups
The open letter has also been signed by 22 supporting groups — including Amnesty International, the Human Rights Law Centre and Australian Lawyers for Human Rights.
“We call on the government to reject (Segal’s) plan — it poses a
threat to human rights, democratic freedoms and social cohesion,” it states.
“Do not grant the Special Envoy any enforcement or monitoring powers, nor endorse any enforcement framework that restricts free expression, academic freedom or artistic and journalistic work”.
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
