Fears doctors criticising Israel may be silenced as health watchdog adopts contested antisemitism definition

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said Ahpra’s announcement risked healthcare workers facing suspensions or bans due to ‘egregious and vexatious complaints’ that silence political expression about Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian View image in fullscreen The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said Ahpra’s announcement risked healthcare workers facing suspensions or bans due to ‘egregious and vexatious complaints’ that silence political expression about Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian Fears doctors criticising Israel may be silenced as health watchdog adopts contested antisemitism definition Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to use International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for ‘regulatory work’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s health watchdog has adopted a contested definition of antisemitism to guide its regulatory work. The move has been welcomed by the nation’s peak Jewish body while the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) has warned it could silence health professionals from criticising Israel’s human rights record. In a joint statement with the federal government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) on Wednesday announced it had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism for its “regulatory work.” The IHRA definition says antisemitism is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” It is accompanied by illustrative examples, which opponents have argued means it can be used to conflate antisemitism with legitimate criticism of Israel. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The definition has been endorsed by the federal government and the antisemitism royal commission, launched in the wake of the Bondi terror attack last December, where 15 people were killed at a Hanukkah event. Ahpra’s chief executive, Justin Untersteiner, said antisemitism costs lives and “has no place in healthcare.” “Ahpra is committed to working with the Special Envoy and partners to eliminate antisemitism from the health system, because everyone should feel safe when accessing care,” he said in a statement. “Ahpra has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a reference tool, supported by the Special Envoy’s handbook to support a consistent understanding of antisemitism in its contemporary forms in our regulatory work.” Apan on Thursday said Ahpra’s announcement risked healthcare workers facing suspensions or bans due to “egregious and vexatious complaints” that silence political expression about Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It pointed to healthcare workers since October 2023 reporting “fear of professional consequences for speaking publicly about Gaza and Palestine.” “A