Special Envoy’s submission to inquiry on campus antisemitism published
The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee has published Jillian Segal’s submission to the inquiry about whether to establish a Judicial Inquiry about campus antisemitism.
Dr Mike Freelander, Jillian Segal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles Photo: Henry Benjamin/J-Wire
Jillian Segal is Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism.
The Inquiry has received over 400 submissions from individuals and organisations about antisemitism on university campuses.
The Antisemitism Envoy interviewed more than 65 Jewish university students, academics, and staff to inform her submission and found “the situation is much more serious and alarming than expected”:
“Antisemitic behaviour is not only present on many campuses but is an embedded part of the culture. This normalised antisemitism is incredibly dangerous to our society as it is an attitude and behaviour that eats away at the fabric of the mission of the tertiary sector. The situation on Australian university campuses must change. The sector needs to respond to the seriousness of the situation.”
The report recommended a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on campuses, noting:
- The victims of antisemitism on campus need to be able to give testimony in private.
- Interviewees have no confidence in other institutions like the
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to approach their evidence with impartiality and appropriate respect, and to protect its confidentiality.
- Universities are in denial about the seriousness of the situation and have failed to recognise the embedded culture of antisemitism causing Jewish students to be traumatised, feel unsafe, stay away from campus and not partake equally in educational opportunities and failed to act appropriately.
- There is a need to investigate foreign funding designed to undermine the universities’ mission and values.
The Antisemitism Envoy also made a host of practical recommendations that can be implemented immediately following the Senate Committee’s commendation, including:
- Best practice policies.
- A national student ombudsman.
- A national database and hotline for racist incidents and discourse.
- Changes to TEQSA’s functioning.
- Better use of the Universities Accords’ recommendations and performance targets.
- An agreement around a definition of antisemitism.
