Dr Monique Ryan – Aleph Melbourne

Jillian Segal and Advance

On July 12 and 13 The Klaxon broke news that John Roth, the husband of Australia’s Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal, donated $50,000 to Advance:

In the July 18 2025 ECAJ Weekly Update Daniel Aghion wrote the following of Jillian Segal:

This past week, we have seen a smear campaign attacking the Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism, soon after its launch last week.

This concerted campaign has focused on just a couple of details in a wide-ranging programme of 49 key actions in 13 focus areas, and (most outrageously) attacked the Antisemitism Envoy herself personally, for her husband’s private political activity.

I am not going to discuss the personal attacks on the Antisemitism Envoy herself – other than to say it is the lowest form of smear tactics – because they are irrelevant to the merits of her plan.

Amongst the range of marginalised groups that Advance copiously hates on are LGBTIQA+ people. With pathological obsession, they have posted multitudes of negative articles over many years demonising us.

Hearing that Australia’s Antisemitism Envoy is unprepared to call out such bigotry is beyond comprehension. She would realise homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are as insidious as antisemitism. It beggars belief that a person appointed by the government to combat hate and intolerance does not know what all forms of hate and intolerance look like.

Australian Jewish News – July 25 2025 – Page 18 – Letters

Unforgivable
THE Friday after news broke that
Jillian Segal's husband's family
trust donated $50,000 to the far
right lobby group Advance, ECAJ
president Daniel Aghion claimed
criticism levelled at her for her hus-
band's donation was "outrageous"
and a "smear tactic"
It's not without precedent that
public figures have been called out
for their spouse's actions, such as
when Senator James Paterson held
Monique Ryan accountable for her
husband's removal of a sign in the
recent federal election. Rightly or
wrongly, Ryan took the fall for her
husband's indiscretion and apol-
ogised.
The nature of the role of the
antisemitism envoy is to combat
racism and hatred. For that person
to remain silent on a significant
donation by her spouse to an outfit
that has racism and hate in its DNA
beggars belief, and to my thinking
amounts to tacit endorsement. She
does not need to apologise for her
husband, but to remain silent on
who he donated to is unforgivable.
Michael Barnett
Ashwood, Vic

Australian Jewish News – August 1 2025 – Page 17 – Letters

Defending Advance
MICHAEL Barnett (A/N 25/07)
fulminates about antisemitism
envoy Jillian Segal's husband
making a donation to Advance
Australia. Advance is anything but
a "far right lobby group". The
Jewish community has much to be
thankful for to Advance. For start-
ers they were instrumental in pre
venting the virulently antisemitic
Greens from achieving a danger-
ous foothold in the last election.
As for Barnett's claim that
Advance is filled with "racism
and hate", he would be good
to remember that the work of
Advance in helping to defeat the
Voice referendum saved Australia
from a dangerously racially divi
sive situation from evolving. Any
organisation, like Advance, which
espouses conservative ideals and
fights against the destruction of
the values of Western civilisation is
labelled by Barnett and those of his
ilk as "far-right" by default.
The Jewish community has
come to realise in recent times that
the left are not our friends, but in
Barnett's case the message seems
to be taking somewhat longer to
sink in.
Robert Weil
Highett, Vic

Not the same
IT is not helpful when progressive
activists such as Michael Barnett
spout reflexive hysterical hyperbole
for political gain rather than care-
fully analysing a situation
His comparison of Jillian Segal's
husband's donation to lobby
group Advance with the actions
of Monique Ryan's husband is
just wild fantasy. Any student of
critical thinking could easily see
that Segal's husband John Roth
donated the money in his own
right, and which had nothing to
do with his wife's work.
On the other hand, the removal
of promotional signs by Monique
Ryan's husband was active inter.
ference on behalf of her campaign
with the express purpose of giving
her an electoral advantage
Alan Freedman
St Kilda East. Vic

Congratulations Josh & Monique, and thank you Zoe

Aleph Melbourne congratulates Monique Ryan and Josh Burns on retaining their seats of Kooyong and Macnamara in the 2025 Federal Election. They are strong advocates for LGBTIQA+ people and the Jewish community.

We are especially grateful to Monique and Josh for taking the time to write heartfelt and considered statements of support during the election campaign.

Aleph Melbourne is appreciative of the other candidates who supplied statements of support for LGBTIQA+ people: Kath Davies (Independent/Chisholm), Alana Gallie-McRostie (Greens/Goldstein), Zoe Daniels (Independent/Goldstein), and Sonya Semmens (Greens/Macnamara).

A special thank you goes to outgoing MP Zoe Daniel who has consistently been a friend and ally of LGBTIQA+ Jews, and whose commitment to equality and decency remains without question.

Statement: Dr Monique Ryan – Independent for Kooyong

Statement from Independent for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan for Aleph Melbourne in support of the LGBTIQ+ community.

“Protecting the rights of vulnerable minorities, including the LGBTIQ+ community“
Policy Priorities

The protection of the rights of vulnerable people, including those in the LGBTIQ+ community, is a major priority for Monique. She abhors the way the Religious Discrimination Bill has been weaponised – causing harm and distress to LGBTIQ+ people and other minorities including people with disability – and she would oppose any attempts to compromise the protections that are currently afforded by the Sex Discrimination Act and by state Anti-Discrimination Acts.

Monique condemns the way that trans people have been exposed to ongoing harmful and cruel political posturing throughout this election campaign, and she is aware of the devastation that this hostility inflicts on individuals and communities. She opposes the Save Women’s Sports Bill – and supports the continuation of s42 of the Sex Discrimination Act – as both currently stand. She is concerned that this Bill would further marginalise a vulnerable group of people – especially trans and gender diverse children – who already experience a high degree of social exclusion and isolation. Trans people must be at the centre of discussions involving any legislation that directly impacts them.

If Monique is elected she will work with LGBTIQ+ communities to move equality forward. That means removing anti-LGBTIQ+ exemptions from discrimination law, supporting better mental health services and school inclusion programs, ensuring equity in Medicare for trans and gender diverse people, and putting an end to conversion practices and unnecessary, non-consenting medical interventions on children with variations of sex characteristics.

Monique stands for a community that is inclusive, generous and welcoming.

Further information on Dr Monique Ryan’s policies is available here.