“Shock and Dismay” – no judicial inquiry into university antisemitism
Australia’s Jewish Community has expressed disappointment in Universities Antisemitism Inquiry Recommendations.
The Senate inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities has revealed widespread harassment and discrimination against Jewish students and staff, sparking calls for immediate reform.
However, the decision not to recommend a judicial inquiry has been met with fierce criticism from Jewish organisations, most notably the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), which expressed profound disappointment at the Senate’s decision to instead refer the matter to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.
Julian Leeser
Liberal MP Julian Leeser was one of the original politicians calling for a judicial inquiry.
He told J-Wire: “Labor Senators have today rejected the Jewish community’s calls for a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on Australian university campuses.
Labor Senators have dismissed the evidence in hundreds of submissions made to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee calling for a judicial inquiry, in stark contrast to the strong recommendations of Coalition Senators Sarah Henderson and Paul Scarr.
Labor has ignored the calls of Jewish students and staff. They have ignored the calls of every major Jewish organisation in the country and the recommendations of the Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism who was recently appointed by the Albanese Government.
Labor is running out of excuses to oppose a judicial inquiry given such an inquiry is not opposed by either the Australian Human Rights Commission or Australia’s universities. Indeed, a great irony is that Sydney University Vice Chancellor Mark Scott took this process seriously, but Labor hasn’t.
Labor Senators’ recommendation that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquire into the issue of antisemitism at Australian universities is tone deaf to the wishes of the Jewish community and will not be able to address the systemic issues which have been on university campuses for decades.
To throw this issue to a parliamentary committee at the end of a parliamentary term which is unlikely to report this side of the election, if at all, is an insult to Jewish students and staff who are having to confront these issues every day.
Instead of having these issues considered by an independent judicial officer, Jewish Australians will be treated like a political football at a time when Jewish students and staff are feeling especially vulnerable. To expect witnesses to have confidence in giving evidence before people like the Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who addressed the Melbourne riot and condemned the actions of police, is insulting.
Once again Labor has deserted the Jewish Community.’
Peter Wertheim
ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim voiced “shock and dismay” at the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee’s decision, arguing that the government had failed to heed the voices of the Jewish community. “The government has not listened to the hundreds of Jewish students, staff, and community members who told their stories to the Committee and urged it to call for a judicial inquiry, or understood the depth of their concerns,” Wertheim said. He described the refusal as a missed opportunity to tackle antisemitism with the seriousness it warrants.
Wertheim emphasised that a judicial inquiry, led by a senior judge, would have been the most effective mechanism to address antisemitism on campuses without political interference. This “would take the politics out of the issue, whereas another parliamentary inquiry will put the politics back in. It is in the interests of the whole country, not just the Jewish community, to get to the whole truth about the nature and extent of antisemitism at Australian universities,” he added.
One of Wertheim’s key concerns was the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, which, he argues lacks the powers needed to comprehensively address the issue. He stated that the committee does not have the remit or compulsory powers required to investigate deeper questions, including foreign involvement in antisemitism on Australian campuses—something the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism identified as a significant issue.
AUJUS president Noah Loven addressing the inquiry
Wertheim was particularly critical of the presence of Greens Senators on the committee, arguing that their involvement could undermine trust in the process. “The presence of a Greens and former Greens Senator will raise trust issues and may deter Jewish students and staff members from coming forward a second time,” he said. Wertheim went on to accuse the Greens of lacking comprehension of antisemitism and empathy for its victims, stating, “For most of the Jewish community, the Greens are now seen as the party of antisemitism.”
The inquiry’s findings confirmed the widespread nature of antisemitism at Australian universities. A 2023 Australian Jewish University Experience Survey revealed that 64% of Jewish students had experienced antisemitism on campus, ranging from verbal abuse and threats to exclusion and hostility. Jewish students frequently reported feeling unsafe and unsupported, with many choosing to hide their Jewish identity to avoid becoming targets of abuse.
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), which has long campaigned for safer environments for Jewish university students, acknowledged the Senate’s referral of the issue to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. However, AUJS shared the ECAJ’s frustration over the lack of a judicial inquiry. “Jewish students are avoiding campuses, fearing for their safety,” said a spokesperson for AUJS. “Many are removing identifiable Jewish symbols. This climate of fear and exclusion is unacceptable and can no longer be ignored.”
AUJS highlighted the need for urgent, tangible action, warning that a parliamentary inquiry should not be used as a delaying tactic. “We need a truth-telling process that reveals the prevalence of antisemitism and highlights the deficiencies in university responses. A parliamentary inquiry must lead to lasting reform,” the organisation stated.
Alon Cassuto
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) also expressed disappointment. ZFA CEO Alon Cassuto underscored the Jewish community’s call for a judicial inquiry, saying it was necessary to deliver the systemic changes needed at universities. “Self-regulation is not the answer. University leadership has repeatedly fallen short in tackling antisemitism, and we do not have the confidence they can deliver the meaningful changes needed,” Cassuto remarked. Like AUJS and ECAJ, the ZFA is concerned that universities, which have failed to adequately address antisemitism, are now tasked with managing the very processes that have proven ineffective.
The Senate inquiry’s report also revealed that 61% of Jewish students who lodged formal complaints about antisemitism were dissatisfied with their university’s response. Many said their concerns were dismissed or not taken seriously. Despite the gravity of these findings, the Senate chose to recommend a parliamentary inquiry rather than the judicial inquiry called for by Jewish organisations.
While the committee did urge universities to review their complaints processes and work with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, the Jewish community remains cautious about whether these recommendations will lead to real change. The Jewish community organisations all emphasised the need for external oversight, arguing that universities have proven themselves incapable of effectively addressing antisemitism on their own.
The call in the Jewish community for a judicial inquiry remains strong, as many believe only an independent and powerful investigation can bring the systemic reform needed to protect Jewish students and staff on campuses.
