Antisemitism envoy proposes mask ban and visa review measures

Bans on face coverings, exclusion zones for protesters and extra visa review measures are among a raft of proposals being put forward by Australia's envoy to combat antisemitism.

Jillian Segal's report comes 10 months after 15 people were killed in a shooting targeting a Jewish festival at Bondi.

It builds on an earlier plan released by Ms Segal and suggests dozens of new measures to tackle antisemitism in response to emerging threats.

The report singles out progressive antisemitism, incorporating elements of far-left and Islamic extremist ideology, as the "most pervasive" form of antisemitism facing Australia.

The report calls for the introduction of restrictions on protests, such as bans on face coverings.

Victoria has already given police powers to remove masks at protests and the NSW government brought in laws to restrict protests that the state's top court deemed unconstitutional.

Ms Segal has also proposed safe access exclusion zones for protests, citing similar measures that prevent protests outside abortion clinics.

"Antisemitism doesn't start with violence, it starts with words and then those words progress through different stages if they're not appropriately dealt with," she said.

Calls to 're-engage' Jewish artists

The report also identifies areas where progress on tackling antisemitism "remains insufficient" and named the arts and cultural sector as one of particular concern.

Ms Segal said Jewish people continued to feel excluded in creative industries and has recommended institutions take steps to address this.

"Those Jewish artists have not been re-embraced and we have to find a way to make that happen," she said.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion heard evidence from Jewish artists who said they had been blocked from professional opportunities and lost friends after the leaking of private messages.

The report has recommended the government trial a "modest" grant program to help re-engage Jewish creatives and stories into the arts sector.

It also recommends enforceable conditions for arts funding from organisations such as Creative Australia that would allow grants to be terminated if a recipient engages in antisemitism.

Ms Segal argued the university sector had been previously stalling efforts to tackle antisemitism, but new racism standards, set to come into force on January 1, have since allayed her concerns.

Extra visa review measures suggested

The report also calls for further efforts to strengthen the visa processing system.

The Department of Home Affairs has already begun training staff involved in visa processing to help them recognise antisemitism.

But the report recommends setting up a dedicated group within the Department to review previously-granted visas where there are "credible concerns" the visa holder may hold antisemitic views.

It also calls for extra risk-based filters to determine whether a visa applicant may hold views "antithetical to Australian values", along with public reporting on the number of refusals and cancellations.

ABC, SBS oversight model examined

The report includes further detail on a proposal for extra oversight of public broadcasters the ABC and SBS, to prevent "the spread of antisemitic ideas and narratives".

Ms Segal previously floated the idea of an independent oversight committee to review the public broadcasters' handling of complaints about its coverage.

During evidence at the royal commission in July, she accused the broadcasters of "marking their own homework" in regard to internal complaints processes. The ABC and SBS have rejected that claim.

Now Ms Segal is calling for the existing responsibilities of the ABC and SBS Ombudsmen to be transferred to an external ombudsman.

"It is in no way to attack their independence, because their independence is incredibly important for all of us, but to assure everyone that it's working effectively," she said.

The royal commission will deliver its final report on December 18.