AHPRA is facing a backlash from doctors, health workers and civil liberties groups after adopting a contested definition of anti-Semitism as a reference tool for assessing complaints against practitioners.

A pro-Palestine healthcare worker group has drawn up an open letter to the watchdog claiming the move will have a “chilling effect” on practitioners speaking publicly about Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

The watchdog announced last week that it would use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as a guide for its regulatory work.

Published in 2016, the definition describes anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews”, saying it can be directed at Jewish or non-Jewish people, their property, Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.