Local Government Summit on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion - Australia 2026

The 2026 Local Government Summit Against Antisemitism and for Social Cohesion is a national gathering convening local government leaders, antisemitism experts, faith leaders, and community figures in Sydney, Australia.

Now in its second year, the summit is Australia's only national gathering focused specifically on equipping local governments to confront antisemitism, strengthen social cohesion and multiculturalism.

As Australians, we pride ourselves on being a country where people of different backgrounds and faiths can live together in safety.

But that social cohesion is under increasing strain. Extremists on both the far right and far left are seeking to divide our communities, with antisemitic hatred increasingly used as a weapon.

As the level of government closest to the community, councils have an important role to play in strengthening social cohesion and standing against hate.

Share frontline experience across councils and communities.
Examine global data on antisemitism and social cohesion.
Leave with a plan, a network, and a public commitment.

For the first time, Commonwealth, state and local government are aligned behind a single local government agenda on social cohesion and antisemitism.

Co-hosts

Waverley council finds itself on the frontline of rising hate in the community. Learn from a council that is doing everything it can to improve social cohesion and stop antisemitism.

Supported by

Australia's Jewish community

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies

QJBD

JCCSA

ACT Jewish Community

Support from our leaders

Message from the Hon. Stephen Kamper MP

Minister for Multiculturalism

Now open

Standard

$599

Registration open now

Early Bird

$465

Closed 30 September 2026

What is included

One ticket covers the full experience, Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon.

Welcome gathering on Wednesday evening
All conference sessions, panels and workshops
Gala dinner at the summit venue on Thursday evening
Friday community program, including coach transfers around Sydney, visits to significant sites and hands-on experiences
Breakfast both days and catering throughout the summit
All summit materials

Who can register

Registration is open to local government representatives, mayors, deputy mayors, councillors, general managers, faith leaders, and community figures.

Please note

To keep this a genuine gathering of local government leaders, all registrations are subject to approval of Combat Antisemitism Movement Australia. If your council hasn’t received an invitation, please contact us.

Funding & Travel Assistance

We want councils and community leaders from across Australia to be represented, regardless of their location or available budget.

A number of complimentary summit places are available, and additional support can be provided towards registration, travel and accommodation. If cost is making it difficult for you or your council to attend, we encourage you to get in touch.

Complimentary places

A number of complimentary registrations are available for eligible delegates.
Support for travel and accommodation

Further assistance with flights and accommodation is also available, in full or in part, depending on circumstances.
Regional and rural travel support

Travel assistance is available for delegates from regional and rural councils to help ensure distance is not a barrier to participating.
Discounted accommodation

A reduced accommodation rate is available at the summit venue. Details and the discount code will be provided with registration confirmation.

Not sure what you need or need other assistance to be able to make it? Email australia@combatantisemitism.org and we will work with you to find a way to attend.

$599 Standard registration

Sydney, November 26–27, 2026. Australia's mayors, councillors, senior officers, interfaith leaders and community champions gather for two days on social cohesion and confronting antisemitism.

Expect expert panels, peer-led workshops, cultural immersion in Sydney's Jewish life, interfaith dialogue, and a collective local government commitment for social cohesion and against antisemitism.

You won't leave with just a programme booklet, you will receive an action plan, a network, and a public commitment to lead your community against rising hate.

Expert insights

Plenaries and keynotes on the state of antisemitism in 2026, plus panels on law enforcement, government response and municipal leadership.

Practical tools

Hands-on breakout workshops and peer roundtables - from building incident-reporting systems to Crowded Places security guidance and social cohesion programs like Step Together. Every council leaves with actions it can take home.

Community connection

A guided immersion through Sydney's Jewish Community with an opportunity to break bread, alongside networking gatherings and a gala dinner.

Choosing Sydney is not incidental; it is a necessary response to a crisis that has reshaped our nation.

Red paint splashed on the former home of an Australian Jewish leader in Dover Heights, Sydney — Red paint splashed on the former home of an Australian Jewish leader in Dover Heights, Sydney, January 2025.

Floral tributes left by mourners at the promenade of Bondi Beach in Sydney — Floral tributes left by mourners at the promenade of Bondi Beach in Sydney, December 2025.

Following the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, Australia experienced a seismic rise in antisemitism, most visible in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. What began as graffiti and harassment in our local streets evolved into a climate of fear, targeting spaces the Jewish community has inhabited for generations.

Culminating in the tragedy of 14 December 2025, when innocent Australians were murdered while celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach. It was a day that should have been defined by summer and celebration; instead, it became an attack on our collective freedoms and the safety of all Australians.

As a result, the Waverley Council area found itself on the front line, requiring local leadership to meet a challenge that affects us all. What has defined Bondi since is not the attack but the answer to it: a community and a council that met fear with solidarity, and grief with resolve. That response is the model this summit exists to share.

Antisemitism is not merely a national policy problem. It is a neighbourhood problem, and it requires neighbourhood solutions. Local governments sit at the intersection of law enforcement, education, housing, social services, and community relations. This proximity gives you a unique and powerful mandate to act - and a responsibility you can no longer defer.

When antisemitism takes hold in a community, it fractures the social fabric that binds neighbours together. Addressing it is therefore inseparable from the broader work of building social cohesion: fostering trust, belonging, and mutual respect across lines of difference. Councils that lead on antisemitism are simultaneously leading on the health of their entire community.