Australian government won’t back public views of special envoys on antisemitism and Islamophobia

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, who has been asked to highlight ‘diverse Jewish Australian identities’. Photograph: Thomas Parrish/AAP

The Australian government is seeking to create some distance from its new special envoys on antisemitism and Islamophobia, suggesting they do not characterise their comments as official government policy.

Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal the instructions the government has given its new special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, including the need to highlight “diverse Jewish Australian identities”.