Segal and husband have “shared values” — Celebrated by G-G

EXCLUSIVE

ANTHONY KLAN

INVESTIGATION

Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal and her husband — who Segal has suggested was responsible for $50,000 given to far-right group Advance — publicly and officially celebrate their shared values.

Not only do Segal and her husband John Roth “donate” together — and have been donating together for decades — they co-fund a prestigious annual scholarship.

That is named after them.

That is presented by the Governor-General.

The “Roth-Segal John Monash Harvard Scholarship” is awarded to recipients who “echo the values” of Segal and Roth, says the Sir General John Monash Foundation, which handles the awards.

Segal has been chair of the Sir General John Monash Foundation since 2010.

In March last year, then Governor-General David Hurley and his wife Linda presented the “2024 Roth-Segal John Monash Harvard Scholarship” at a formal government “reception”.

The event was live-streamed to Facebook by the Governor-General’s office.

 

The revelations are remarkable because there have been extensive attempts — including by the Federal Government and Federal Opposition — to isolate the “donation” activities of Roth from those of Segal, following the Advance revelations.

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

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

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 regularly posts anti-Palestinian content.

Investigations show Segal and Roth have been awarding the Roth-Segal John Monash Harvard Scholarship, to the prestigious Harvard University in the US, for a decade.

The couple’s donations are to fund the scholarship “in perpetuity”, states the Segal-chaired John Monash Foundation.

“Roth/Segal John Monash Harvard Scholar recipients…(receive) this specific Scholarship award because their ambitions echo the values of the Roth/Segal family, who are generous philanthropists and Harvard Alumni themselves,” the John Monash Foundation states.

“Roth/Segal John Monash Harvard Scholar recipients…echo the values of the Roth/Segal family” — John Monash Foundation

 

The Roth-Segal Scholarship was “unveiled” in November 2014, in a ceremony overseen by then Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, the foundation’s 2014-15 annual report states.

Also in attendance at the event, held “under the famous sails of the Sydney Opera House”, were Federal ALP MP Mark Dreyfus; former federal Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu; and then Federal Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert.

“The Roth-Segal Scholarship was  “unveiled” in November 2014, in a ceremony overseen by then Governor-General Peter Cosgrove”

 

More from The Klaxon:

Aug 8: EXCLUSIVE: Segal’s “husband” donation claims crumble

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”

 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed Segal to the newly created role of “Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia”, to help “preserve social cohesion”.

“The appointment of Jillian Segal AO is a critical step in easing the tensions that we see playing out here at home,” said Albanese, announcing her appointment on July 6 last year.

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Last month, on July 10, Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Bourke flanked Segal as she called for sweeping new speech laws — including for her to be given powers to “monitor” media.

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

Two days later, an expose by The Klaxon detailed how a family trust connected to Segal and Roth is one of the biggest funders of far-right political lobby group “Advance”.

 

In June last year the Henroth Discretionary Trust — named after Roth’s father, Henry Roth — gave Advance $50,000, making it the far-right group’s second biggest funder in 2023-24, the most recent data.

Despite providing no evidence, both the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition have sought to deflect the scandal away from Segal and solely on to her husband Roth.

That’s also despite Roth having made no comment — neither confirming or denying he was solely responsible for the $50,000 donation.

It’s also despite the fact that, as previously revealed, Roth, like Segal, is a public anti-racism advocate.

 

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

July 16: Shadow Attorney General Julian Lesser echoes Segal’s “husband” statement

 

Responding to The Klaxon’s expose, on July 14, Home Affairs Minister Tony Bourke told the Sydney Morning Herald “Advance is an appalling organisation” and “those who fund it are not acting in the cause of social cohesion”.

“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” — Tony Burke

 

That evening Burke also told ABC’s 7.30 that Advance was an “appalling organisation” that he has “no time for” and which “does the opposite of pursuing social cohesion”.

He again pointed to Roth, and again provided no evidence.

“There is no way I am going back to the 1950s and blaming a woman for the actions of her husband,” Bourke told the program.

“It’s a long time since we’ve been a country where you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband.”

“It’s a long time since we’ve been a country where you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband” – Tony Bourke

 

Two days later, on July 16, Shadow Attorney General Julian Lesser told Sky News: “I thought we were well and truly past the days where we were holding wives responsible for the actions of their husbands”.

“I thought we were well and truly past the days where we were holding wives responsible for the actions of their husbands” – Julian Lesser

Yet there is no evidence that it was Roth alone, and not Segal, who was responsible for the $50,000 to Advance, beyond a two-sentence statement from Segal that does not specifically make that claim — and which does not name Advance at all.

 

Before being appointed the Federal Government’s Antisemitism Envoy, Segal a lawyer, has had an extensive and high-powered professional career.

She was partner of major law firm Allens Linklaters; has been a director of major companies including NAB and the ASX; was UNSW Vice Chancellor for 14 years; was chair of the Australian Banking Industry Ombudsman; and spent five years as a commissioner of the nation’s corporate watchdog the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, including two years as Deputy Commissioner.

Yesterday marked five weeks since Segal issued her two-sentence statement, 24 hours after The Klaxon’s expose.

She has steadfastly refused to comment since.

 

Segal’s July 13 statement says only:  “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.”

“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

The statement makes no mention of Advance.

It also does not directly state — only suggests — that Roth was responsible.

Despite ongoing requests, Segal is refusing to say whether she knew of the Advance donation, when she became aware of it — or even whether or not she supports or condemns Advance and its highly divisive activities.

Segal did not post her statement online, or make it publicly available, but instead gave it to select media outlets.

Segal and her office did not provide the statement to The Klaxon, and have repeatedly refused to do so.

“Those who fund it (Advance) are not acting in the cause of social cohesion” — Tony Burke

Segal and Roth have both repeatedly refused to comment when contacted by The Klaxon.

 

Australian Electoral Commission records show the disclosure was made by Henroth Investments “ATF” (meaning “as trustee for”) the Henroth Discretionary Trust.

The two directors of Henroth Investments, a property development business, are John Roth and his brother Stan Roth, who inherited the business from their late father, Henry Roth.

The “ATF” disclosure means the donation was not made by Henroth Investments, but by family trust, the Henroth Discretionary Trust.

That is, the $50,000 went from the Henroth Discretionary Trust to Advance.

“The $50,000 went from the Henroth Discretionary Trust to Advance”

As previously revealed, The Klaxon has uncovered scores of documents showing the Segal and Roth — who have been married for over 40 years — have been donating together, as one entity, for decades.

According to the University of NSW — where Segal was Deputy Chancellor — 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

 

As previously revealed, the couple are formally named together as donors, or “major donors”, to the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA); the Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Home; Israel’s medical and national emergency service Magen David Adom; the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism; the research entity the the Kirby Institute; and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

Both Albanese and Burke refused to say whether Segal continued to have their “full support” as Antisemitism Envoy, when contacted by The Klaxon Friday.

“Both Albanese and Burke refused to say whether Segal continued to have their ‘full support’ when contacted Friday”

 

There are widespread calls for Segal to resign or be sacked from the role over the Advance revelations.

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.

Albanese was out of the country in China when the scandal broke. Remarkably, he is yet to comment on the matter.

That’s despite The Klaxon’s expose having been covered by the ABC; The Canberra Times; The Sydney Morning Herald; The Age; SBS; Guardian Australia; Sky News, The Australian; Inside Story; The National Indigenous Times; the AAP wires; The New Daily; and The Conversation; among many other outlets.

 

“Manipulated Narratives”

The Klaxon’s 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”.

Segal also called for her to be given powers to “monitor” media.

“Antisemitism has risen to deeply troubling levels in Australia,” she said on July 10.

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

“This has been driven by…manipulated narratives” — Jillian Segal

 

Three days later, responding to The Klaxon’s July 12 expose, Segal, a lawyer, issued her vague — and potentially highly misleading — two-sentence statement.

Close analysis suggests the statement — which Segal refuses to clarify, explain or elaborate — is worded in a such a way that it could encourage false inferences.

 

ABC 7.30’s Sarah Ferguson interviewed Bourke on July 14.

“Now, it was revealed last week that the husband of antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, gave money to the controversial and divisive right-wing lobby group, Advance Australia,” said Ferguson.

“To be clear, she did not make the donation and she is not responsible for him, but she has not criticised it.”

Yet it is not clear that Segal did not make, or at least that Segal was not somehow involved in making, the donation, as Segal is refusing to comment.

(It was — and remains — correct that Segal has not criticised Advance.)

 

The following day, on July 15, Sky News ran a segment, which featured prominent banners, including “Segal Says she didn’t know about trust” and “Segal says she didn’t know about payment”.

Neither is true.

Segal has made no comment about the trust, and she has not said whether she knew about the payment.

Sky News’ Laura Jayes does not cite Segal’s two-sentence statement in the segment, which ran for almost ten minutes.

Jayes cites Segal’s position as simply: “Jillian Segal says she knew nothing of her husband’s donations and she has denied it”.

Jayes then reads out at length social media posts by former NSW Premier, and vocal Palestine advocate, Bob Carr, who “has tweeted in the last hour or so”.

Jayes reads out Carr’s posts:

“Jillian Segal finds repellent the racism she addresses in her report on anti-Semitism. What about the racism her husband funds through Advance Australia, racism directed at marginalised, powerless Muslims, First Nations peoples, migrants? She was an appalling choice and utterly foolish to take the job given she plainly knew the activities of this racist outfit and that her partner was a chief backer.”

Lesser responds:

“What a set of dirty misogynistic comments from Bob Carr, a person who should know so much better. I thought we were well and truly past the days where we were holding wives responsible for the actions of their husbands. And the people who’ve been raising this smear campaign against a distinguished Australian are doing so because they want the anti-Semitism in this country to continue.”

 

Sounds of Silence

The Advance scandal appears to have dulled the Federal Government’s reported urgency to adopt Segal’s wide reaching recommendations.

On July 10 Guardian Australia reported the “federal government will move quickly to adopt new recommendations from the special envoy to combat antisemitism,” citing Labor sources.

“The government may not commit to implementing all of Segal’s advice, but some Labor sources believe some suggestions – which were being finalised and circulated on Wednesday – may be adopted quickly,” the publication reported.

“The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the government was working on a major response”.

Not only has the government not issued any response, Albanese and Bourke are refusing to say if Segal still has their “full support”.

Segal’s official, government-funded website, titled Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, has not been updated — even to its “news” or “latest news” pages — despite the 20-page plan being by far the Special Envoy’s biggest event to date.

Segal’s “Plan to Combat Antisemitism” was posted on July 10.

The entire site has been dormant since.

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Thank you,

Anthony Klan

Editor, The Klaxon