Hunters Hill Council takes stand against antisemitism with landmark local strategy

Hunters Hill Council in NSW has adopted a landmark strategy to combat antisemitism, positioning itself at the forefront of local government responses to rising hate and community tensions across Australia.

Councillors unanimously backed the plan at the council meeting on Monday 23 March, endorsing a framework that draws on best practice from other councils and formally adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, alongside relevant state and federal laws.

The strategy focuses on prevention and early intervention, with measures centred on community education, awareness‑raising programs, partnerships with specialist organisations and closer coordination with state agencies. Council papers emphasise that local governments are uniquely positioned to address antisemitism at the grassroots level, where incidents and tensions often emerge first.

Councillor Carol Tannous‑Sleiman, who moved the motion, told the meeting the policy was about setting clear boundaries for what the community would and would not accept.

“Our community deserves to feel safe and valued,” she said. “This policy sends a clear message that hatred has no place in Hunters Hill and that council will not stand by while it takes hold.”

The meeting also heard from Sheina Gutnick, the newly appointed Australian public affairs officer for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). Ms Gutnick spoke of the human cost behind rising antisemitism, sharing the story of her father, Reuven Morrison, who was murdered in the Bondi Beach Chanukah attack in December.

“This is not complicated,” she told councillors. “Either we are clear about what we will not accept, or we accept what follows. Hunters Hill Council has chosen clarity, and that matters.”

CAM welcomed the decision, praising the council for adopting a dedicated local strategy.

“By taking this step, Hunters Hill Council affirms that antisemitism has no place in the municipality,” the organisation said in a statement. “Protecting the dignity, safety and rights of Jewish residents, visitors, and the broader community is central to social cohesion.”

The move comes amid a marked rise in antisemitism across Australia since the October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel and the Bondi attacks on December 14, 2024. In Sydney and beyond, Jewish individuals and institutions have reported an increase in vandalism, assaults and threats.

Hunters Hill joins Waverley Council as one of the first NSW municipalities to implement a formal local plan targeting antisemitism. The strategy also builds on momentum from the inaugural Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, held on the Gold Coast last September, which brought together more than 250 local leaders to share practical responses to hate.

The policy follows an earlier motion put forward by Cr Tannous‑Sleiman in July 2025, which acknowledged a national rise in antisemitism, particularly following the events of October 7, 2023, and referenced several local incidents, including vandalism outside the office of the state member for Lane Cove. That motion called for the development of a formal council strategy.

One of Australia’s oldest municipalities, Hunters Hill is home to a diverse and engaged community. Supporters of the new policy say the council’s decision sends a strong signal that antisemitism will not be tolerated and could serve as a model for other councils grappling with how best to respond to hate at the local level.