EXCLUSIVE: Segal’s “husband” donation claims crumble

EXCLUSIVE

ANTHONY KLAN

INVESTIGATION

The nation’s Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal — who claims to have “had no involvement” in her husband’s “donations” — has been donating with him for decades.

The donation activities of Segal and her husband John Roth are so entrenched they have been officially cited by the University of NSW — Segal’s former long-time employer.

In at least one instance, the couple’s donation activities were even overseen and applauded by a sitting NSW Premier.

The revelations are devastating for Segal — who is facing widespread calls to resign — and for the Federal Government, which openly backed her “husband” claims.

Just weeks ago, embroiled in national scandal following a Klaxon expose detailing how her family trust is one of the biggest funders of far-right political lobby group “Advance”, Segal pointed to her husband.

Segal “had no involvement in his donations” and “nor will I”, she said.

“I have had no involvement in his donations, nor will I” — Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal

The statement comprised just two sentences, came after Segal had refused to respond to The Klaxon’s questions over 48 hours, and was issued after this publication’s expose sparked national shockwaves and a media firestorm.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Bourke doubled-down on Segal’s claims.

“Advance is an appalling organisation, and those who fund it are not acting in the cause of social cohesion,” Burke announced.

“But…there is no way I am going back to the 1950s and blaming a woman for the actions of her husband”.

“There is no way I am going back to the 1950s and blaming a woman for the actions of her husband” — Minister Tony Burke

 

Segal, a lawyer, has refused to explain her family trust having paid $50,000 to “Advance” — making it the tied second biggest funder of the far-right group in 2023-24 — beyond her two sentence statement.

In it, she says she “would not dictate” to her husband and that she had “no involvement in his donations”.

“No one would tolerate or accept my husband dictating my politics, and I certainly won’t dictate his,” Segal said.

“I have had no involvement in his donations, nor will I.”

“No one would tolerate or accept my husband dictating my politics, and I certainly won’t dictate his. I have had no involvement in his donations, nor will I” — Jillian Segal’s entire statement

 

Anatomy of a scandal:

July 10 — Segal calls for sweeping new speech laws and media “monitoring” powers

July 12 — The Klaxon’s expose: Segal’s family trust second biggest “Advance” funder

July 13 — Segal breaks 48-hour media silence, points to “husband”

July 14 — Bourke doubles-down on Segal’s vague “husband” statement

 

Yet an in-depth investigation by The Klaxon now reveals Segal and her husband Roth have been “donating”, as one, for many years — in Australia and internationally.

“Roth, John & Segal, Jillian”, are named as major donors to the Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home aged care group; “John Roth and Jillian Segal AM” are major donors to the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA); “John Roth and Jillian Segal” are major donors to the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism; and “John Roth and Jillian Segal” are named as donors to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service.

According to the University of NSW, Segal’s “many philanthropic pursuits” are “developed in partnership with her husband, John Roth”.

Segal’s “many philanthropic pursuits” are “developed in partnership with her husband, John Roth” — UNSW

The couple’s long-standing, co-donating activities are detailed in an official university publication in August 2019 — when Segal was the university’s Deputy Chancellor.

And had been for 13 years.

 

The revelations provide a major issue for the Federal Government, already under huge pressure to remove Segal from her post, to which she was appointed to promote “social cohesion”.

The Australian Friends of Palestine Association; the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network; the Greens; the Arab Council Australia; the Lebanese Muslim Association; the Alliance of Australians for Muslims and the Australian National Imams Council have all issued statements in direct response to The Klaxon’s July 12 expose.

The Arab Council Australia has called for Jillian Segal’s “immediate resignation”.

 

The Lebanese Muslim Association said Segal’s “position as Australia’s Antisemitism Envoy is no longer tenable”.

“You cannot be the face of a national strategy against hate while your own family trust donates $50,000 to Advance”, said secretary Gamel Kheir.

“You cannot be the face of a national strategy against hate while your own family trust donates $50,000 to Advance” — Lebanese Muslim Association

 

More from The Klaxon:

July 29: Segal seeking to put unis “under control of a political lobby”

July 20: Jillian Segal’s husband is…an anti-racism advocate

July 16: Government must explain over Segal: Peak Muslim bodies

July 14: “Segal must resign” – Top Muslim body

July 13: Jillian Segal “won’t dictate” to husband over $50,000 to “Advance”

July 12: Jillian Segal and husband funding far-right group “Advance”

 

The highly divisive, far-right lobby group Advance spreads hateful propaganda, racist tropes and bigoted imagery to its hundreds of thousands of social media followers.

It claims the Indigenous Welcome to Country is part of a secretive plan by “elites” to “delegitimise Australia’s history”; spread division ahead of Anzac Day, where the Indigenous Welcome to Country was booed; and has suggested immigrants in detention are “rapists, paedophiles and murderers”.

It also regularly posts content attacking and belittling Palestinians.

Please consider supporting our vital work for as little as $10 a month or by making a one-off donation here.

 

The Klaxon’s expose came two days after Segal — flanked by the Prime Minister and Bourke — called for sweeping new speech laws, including for her to be given powers to “monitor” media.

“The expose came two days after Segal — flanked by the Prime Minister and Bourke — called for sweeping new speech laws”

In a 20-page report, Segal called for funding to be cut from universities, charities and cultural bodies if they “enable or fail to act” against “antisemitism”.

“Antisemitism has risen to deeply troubling levels in Australia,” she said.

“This has been driven by…manipulated narratives in the legacy media and social media and the spread of extremist ideologies.”

 

Official UNSW publication Inside UNSW, while reflecting on Segal’s “long-time position as Deputy Chancellor”, provides substantial details of Segal and Roth’s donation activities.

“Ms Segal has used the tools of her profession to improve governance, encourage innovation and drive ambitious social outcomes,” it states.

“It’s also an approach she applies to her many philanthropic pursuits, developed in partnership with her husband, John Roth.”

The article is titled: “Lawyer, philanthropist, change-maker: Jillian Segal AO, Deputy Chancellor of UNSW”.

 

It even reflects on specific examples of donation activity by the couple.

“One of the couple’s philanthropic relationships is with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research” an “organisation they have actively supported for many years”, it states.

“One of the couple’s philanthropic relationships is with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research” an “organisation they have actively supported for many years” — UNSW

Images obtained by The Klaxon show Segal and Roth alongside Garvan Executive Director John Mattick, with the couple being thanked as “visionary” level donors.

“Mr John Roth and Ms Jillian Segal AM,” the plaque behind them states (image shown above and top).

Segal is then shown at the event being personally congratulated by then NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

 

The UNSW article states: “Ms Segal was a significant contributor to the development of the Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics which is a collaboration between the Garvan Centre of Medical Research in Sydney and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel”.

It then quotes Segal directly.

“When John and I visited Weizmann a number of years ago I was struck by the similarities in culture and in many areas of endeavour between the Weizmann and Garvan Institutes”, she says.

“I always thought that some sort of collaboration would be ideal.”

 

Segal and Roth were also donors of research entity The Kirby Institute.

“Projects…have largely been made possible by the contributions of donors such as Ms Segal and Mr Roth, and a handful of others,” the article states of the Institute.

“Projects…have largely been made possible by the contributions of donors such as Ms Segal and Mr Roth” — UNSW

In-depth investigations by The Klaxon have uncovered scores of documents showing Segal and Roth — who have been married for over 40 years — donating together, as one entity.

The Klaxon has found none that support Segal’s claims.

“I have had no involvement in his donations, nor will I” — Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal

Segal and Roth have refused to respond to multiple requests for comment, including multiple series of written questions, from The Klaxon over the past four weeks.

 

The National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) lists its “donors and patrons” on its website — including “John Roth and Jillian Segal AM”.

“John Roth and Jillian Segal AM” — National Institute of Dramatic Arts

Aged care operator the Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home provides a list of “benefactors” in its 2014-15 annual report, including “Roth, John & Segal, Jillian”.

“Roth, John & Segal, Jillian” — Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home

In 2017, the couple were thanked as donors to Magen David Adom, Israel’s medical and national emergency service, for the “visionary donation” of an “electric quadricycle”.

“I am so grateful to our dear friends…John Roth and Jillian Segal for their visionary donation of one of these innovative vehicles,” said Roland Nagel, President of the Australian Friends of Magen David Adom.

“I am so grateful to…John Roth and Jillian Segal for their visionary donation” — Roland Nagel

 

The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism lists its “major donors” in its 2021-22 annual report,  including “John Roth and Jillian Segal”.

“John Roth and Jillian Segal” — Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism

“None of the important work laid out in this report could have been accomplished without the partnership and support of our generous donors,” it states.

Other “major donors” listed include the “Israeli Ministry of Defense”, the “Israeli Ministry of Economy” and the “Israeli Ministry of Diaspora”.

“Other major donors include the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the Israeli Ministry of Economy and the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora”

 

Segal’s appointment as Antisemitism Envoy was announced by Albanese and Bourke on July 6 last year.

The $50,000 payment to Advance from her family trust, the Henroth Discretionary Trust, is recorded in Australian Electoral Commission records as having been made two weeks earlier, on June 27.

 

When the scandal broke last month, Albanese was out of the country, with responses left to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Bourke.

Quizzed about The Klaxon’s expose by the ABC on July 14, Bourke confirmed Segal had not disclosed the Advance payment before accepting the position, or at any time since.

The Home Affairs Minister said the first he heard of it was from “media reports”.

Prime Minister Albanese is yet to comment on the scandal.

Please consider supporting our vital work for as little as $10 a month or by making a one-off donation here.

You can also support us via PayPal, or by making a direct deposit.

Thank you,

Anthony Klan

Editor, The Klaxon