EXCLUSIVE
Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal — whose family trust is one of the biggest funders of far-right lobby group “Advance” — is being paid more than $1,000 a day and has six taxpayer-funded staffers.
Investigations reveal the “Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism” role, announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in July last year, is costing taxpayers well over $1 million a year.
Segal is being paid a daily rate — of $1,070 a day — despite being employed for a three-year term, it can be revealed.
The Department of Home Affairs said Segal had recruited a “team” of six staffers in December last year, to “provide direct support for her work and initiatives”.
Of Segal’s six staffers, four were full-time — despite Segal’s role being only “part-time”.
Despite being entirely taxpayer-funded, the Department refused to say what Segal was paid in total in the year to June 30, or what the total cost of her office was.
Investigations by The Klaxon show the total cost to taxpayers is well over $1m a year.
The revelations come as Segal yesterday broke her seven-and-a-half week silence, addressing a Gold Coast antisemitism summit run by a US entity, which is duchessing scores of politicians from around country.
Segal refused to denounce last weekend’s “March for Australia” rallies, which were marred with violence and racism, stating she didn’t “want to comment on any particular incidents”.
That’s despite Segal having previously, repeatedly and specifically spoken out against pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including stating that “anti-Israel is really anti-Jewish”.
Segal has specifically called for pro-Palestine demonstrations to be “banned” from the nation’s cities.
Her taxpayer-funded role is to “promote social cohesion”.
Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese release Segal’s report on July 10. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Segal failed to address the ongoing scandal around her family trust being one of the biggest funders of far-right political group “Advance”, despite widespread calls for her to resign over the matter.
On July 12 an expose by The Klaxon detailed how Segal’s family trust is one of the biggest funders of Advance, which spreads racist tropes and bigoted imagery to its hundreds of thousands of social media followers.
On July 13 Segal issued a vague, two-sentence statement in which she suggests — but does not directly state — that her husband John Roth is responsible.
Segal refused to comment further.
The Klaxon’s July 12 expose. Source: The Klaxon
Breaking her silence, Segal yesterday fronted an event being held by a US entity — “Combat Antisemitism Movement” (CAM) — over three days at the Gold Coast.
CAM refused to provide The Klaxon media access to cover the event, despite repeated requests over several weeks.
The event is titled the “2025 Australian Mayors against Antisemitism Summit”, despite it not being run or organised by Australian mayors — but the US-registered CAM.
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Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles provided the event with a pre-recorded address. Source: YouTube
The US group offered hundreds of mayors and councillors from around the nation free flights and accomodation to attend the event.
Guardian Australia reports Segal doubled-down on her calls for funding to be cut from institutions that fail to address antisemitism — this time citing child sexual abuse.
Segal reportedly told the event that if the government was prepared to cut funding from childcare centres that fail to keep kids safe from sexual assault, it should also cut funding for organisations that refuse to address antisemitism.
On July 10, flanked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Segal delivered a 20-page Antisemitism Report, calling for sweeping changes to Australia’s freedom of speech laws.
Segal has said she had “a team established in both Sydney and Melbourne”. Source: Bluesky
Segal announced plans to “monitor” media and for funding to be cut from universities, charities and cultural bodies if they “enable or fail to act” against “antisemitism”.
Segal reportedly yesterday called for local governments to stamp out misinformation, calling out “conspiracy theories”.
“Conspiracy theories are the oxygen of antisemitism,” Segal reportedly said.
“They move from fringe forums to mainstream feeds, then into real life, disruption or threat.
“If a council can protect a small community at risk, it lifts the standard for everyone,” Segal reportedly said.
One of the nation’s most prominent vectors of misinformation and hateful conspiracy theories is far-right political lobby group “Advance”.
It has suggested immigrants in detention are “rapists, paedophiles and murderers”; claims the Indigenous Welcome to Country is part of a secretive plan by “elites” to “delegitimise Australia’s history”; and spread division ahead of Anzac Day, where the Indigenous Welcome to Country was booed.
As revealed yesterday, Advance spread anti-immigrant attack material ahead of the weekend’s racism-fuelled rallies.
In 2023-24 Segal’s family trust, the Henroth Family Trust, gave Advance $50,000, making it Advance’s tied second biggest funder in the financial year, the latest data.
Despite repeated requests, the Department of Home Affairs refused to provide details of Segal’s “total remuneration” last financial year, and other key data, including the total cost of the Antisemitism Envoy — or even the seniority level, and so pay rates, of Segal’s six appointees.
There are widespread calls for Segal to resign or be sacked. Source: Twitter/X
Regarding Segal’s remuneration, the Department stated only: “ The Remuneration of the Special Envoys is consistent with Remuneration Tribunal (Remuneration and Allowances for Holders of Part-time Public Office) Determination (No.2) 2023”.
That document states the position of “Special Envoy for Human Rights” is paid “daily fees” of $1,070, plus travel expenses.
The Department refused to say how many days Segal worked in the year to June 30.
There are around 250 standard business days a year, suggesting Segal is paid up to $250,000 a year, plus expenses.
The Department of Home Affairs said Segal had appointed four full-time staff members and two part-time staffers, totalling five full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.
The average salary of a full-time Federal Government employee is $106,382.
That suggests Segal’s six staffers are costing taxpayers around $530,000 a year, plus all expenses, including office costs.
The Department of Home Affairs said it “provides corporate support as needed” to “ensure alignment with Commonwealth rules and guidelines”.
The Department refused to say what the cost of that “corporate support” was in 2024-25.
“Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism commenced in her role on 9 July 2024 to listen to and engage with Jewish Australians, the wider Australian community, religious discrimination experts and all levels of government on the most effective way to combat Antisemitism,” it said in a statement.
“In December 2024, the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism recruited a dedicated team of…staff to provide direct support for her work and initiatives.”
The three-day CAM event on the Gold Coast is being attended by “hundreds of mayors and local councillors from across Australia,” ABC News reports.
The Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) executive officer Max Kaiser called for a boycott of the event, citing “blind support for Israel’s war by conference organisers”.
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
