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. Our shared promise to each other is under increasing strain.

Extremists on both the far right and the far left are threatening to tear at the social fabric of our communities and antisemitic hatred is their weapon of choice. Together, we stand against it.

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

Australian Government

Australia's Jewish community

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies

QJBD

JCCSA

ACT Jewish Community

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

Extended

Early Bird

$465

Available until 30 September 2026

Standard

$599

After Early Bird closes

What’s included

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

Register Now See the program

Scholarship places

Cost should not be the deciding factor. If your council needs support with registration, travel or accommodation, apply for a scholarship place. Open to all local government and community based leaders and staff.

apply for a place

See what people are saying

Cost should not decide whether your council is in the room.

What can be covered

Registration, flights and accommodation, in full or in part, depending on what you need.

Who it is for

Delegates from regional and rural councils, and anyone whose council cannot meet the cost of attending.

How to apply

Complete the short form and tell us what you need. Every request is assessed individually.

Apply for a scholarship place

How it works

Our travel agents at Anywhere Travel book flights and accommodation for all Summit delegates, at discounted rates you cannot get on your own.

Need flights booked?

Submit your details and Anywhere Travel will come back to you with options and handle the booking.

Submit your details

Accommodation only?

Email your requirements and they will secure a discounted room for you.

events@anywheretravel.com.au

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.