What the plan proposes

Jillian Segal, the federal government's special envoy to combat antisemitism, set out the proposal in an updated ASECA Priorities plan released on a Friday. In it she wrote that it would be in the public interest for the public broadcasters' coverage and approach to face more detailed analysis and independent review.

The mechanism she proposes would work like this:

• •A government-appointed panel would review the public broadcasters' previous reporting.
• •Responsibilities currently held by the ABC and SBS ombudsmen could be transferred away from the broadcasters.
• •The powers would move to an external independent ombudsman modelled on other sectors such as telecommunications and banking.

Segal's case and the broadcasters' response

Segal said she had received many expressions of concern from the Australian Jewish community about ABC and SBS reporting perceived as disproportionate, misleading or inaccurate on Israel and the Middle East conflict. Many in the community, she said, remain concerned that coverage they perceive as one-directional may contribute to a negative – and even hostile – view of Israel supporters. She also wrote that Jewish Australians have reported being abused, harassed and accused of being 'baby killers' or supporters of 'genocide'.

Appearing before Senate estimates this week, Segal said she held concerns about the tone and the frequency of reporting about Gaza from the ABC.

The broadcasters rejected calls for external oversight.

Dispute over Gaza casualty figures

At the royal commission, Segal criticised SBS for quoting Gaza Ministry of Health death toll figures, saying they failed to distinguish combatants from civilians and were "grossly inflated".

A UN secretary general spokesperson responded that the ministry is a source the UN often cites, saying: "Independent validation of subsets of the data has found no significant discrepancies in their numbers".

Asked about this at the estimates hearing, Segal said: "I accept the United Nations views because they are the United Nations". She added that this did not detract from the Jewish community's concerns about how the reporting had been done.

Other measures in the updated plan

The plan goes beyond the broadcasters. Among its proposals:

• •Publicly funded arts organisations should impose enforceable conditions on artists and be able to terminate grants if they promoted antisemitism.
• •All arts organisations, private and public, should develop policies governing use of their venues, festivals and stages, covering artists' personal political or ideological activism outside the scope of the advertised show.
• •Grant authorities should be able to terminate funding where academic recipients engage in antisemitic speech or conduct.

The report argues modern 'progressive' antisemitism is the most pervasive form of the prejudice in Australia today. It says this form combines the hostility of Islamic extremism and far-left antisemitism with traditional tropes, and gives it a respectable face through the language of social justice and human rights.

Segal said Islamic extremism, far-left and far-right antisemitism remain prevalent and require vigilance and laws that are properly enforced. She said the form taking root in influential institutions leaves Jewish Australians discriminated against, blamed and vilified for the actions of the government of the state of Israel.

Segal said the proposals were not about silencing criticism of Israel.

The updated plan marks a shift in approach. Her 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. In mid-2026 she told the royal commission into antisemitism she wanted a new oversight committee that could give ABC and SBS coverage a "tick" or "guidance". That royal commission was established in response to the Bondi beach massacre in December, when 15 people were killed during a Hanukah celebration.

The ABC and SBS have rejected the calls for external oversight, and the proposals sit in Segal's updated plan, released two days after her Senate estimates appearance.