Unis oppose anti-Semitism inquiry despite safety fears
Australia’s ‘Group of Eight’ universities think any inquiry into campus anti-Semitism needs to be expanded to look at all forms of religious vilification.
Jillian Segal with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Major Australian universities are pushing back against a powerful probe of campus anti-Semitism, suggesting any inquiry should include all forms of religious intolerance.
A parliamentary inquiry will sit on Tuesday examining setting up a commission of inquiry into the university campuses.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson pushed the bill in July, suggesting university authorities had “consistently failed” to deal with the issue both before and after Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.
Envoy to combat anti-Semitism Jillian Segal will front the inquiry on Tuesday, before universities front up on Friday.
The Group of Eight, which represents the largest universities in Australia, said the proposed inquiry was too narrow.
“As this is a whole of society issue, it will take a whole of society effort to address … the narrow scope of the bill misses the opportunity to take a genuine look at the causes and drivers endangering our social cohesion,” Go8 CEO Vicki Thomson wrote in her submission.
“(Any inquiry should) be broadened in scope to incorporate all forms of racial or religious intolerance and include universities, the media, schools and other key components of broader society.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission is studying the impact of racism at universities, with a number of institutions suggesting it was a more appropriate avenue for action.
But Ms Segal said Jewish students she had spoken to said they did not have confidence in the commission to approach their evidence with impartiality and respect and needed to give testimony in private.
“Universities are in denial about the seriousness of the situation and have failed to recognise the embedded culture of anti-Semitism causing Jewish students to be traumatised, feel unsafe, stay away from campus and not partake equally in educational opportunities and failed to act appropriately,” she wrote in her submission.
“Anti-Semitic behaviour is not only present on many campuses but is an embedded part of the culture … Jewish students are traumatised and feel isolated and unsafe.”
The proposed commission of inquiry would have identical powers to a royal commission.
The Australian Centre of Jewish Civilisation at Monash University’s director said the proposed commission might just replicate existing work and could do more harm than good.
“A commission of inquiry may be seen to run the risk of politicising anti-Semitism with a focus on recrimination rather than on solutions … I therefore recommend that the government focuses on supporting existing mechanisms,” David Slucki wrote in his submission.
Ms Segal was appointed special envoy to combat anti-Semitism on July 9, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised he would also select someone to target Islamophobia.
That role is yet to be filled.
By: Alex Mitchell/AAP
It’s about time the Universities stood up and took notice and responsibility for the disgraceful antics on their campuses, most of which is being lead by terrorists who are neither university students nor Australians -it’s an excuse to turn this into general racism, no other race is being targeted.
Dear Malvina, The last pope actually apologised to jews and asked his followers to accept the wrongs of the church and change their way. Thats the previous pope, not current one!
Also many muslim clerics from places like UAE, Saudi Arabia and even Lebanon have spoken against jew hatred.
In fact Mohamed had 2 jewish wives and he would have been killed if not for the help of jewish tribes. His hatred later was directed at the jews of Medina for not taking on and abiding to his newly invented ‘religion’.
But he also accepted that jews/the people of Abraham were the origin of monotheism and his teachers.
What we have today is a politically motivated hatred and intense jalousie of the success and great achievements of the worlds nr 1 start up nation- Israel- and its people, stirred up by fake clergy indoctrination and foreign interests in both the land and wealth of Israel –
It is in fact political and financial antisemitism. All helped by a chorus of many useful idiotic ‘students’ of nothing ‘education’.
These are no longer universities to broaden and nourish young minds.. They are Qatar, Iran and China sponsored indoctrination camps with a major focus on agenda driven activism.
I believe that eliminating all religious vilification is the way to go. There is enough Christian teachings as well as Islamic ones vilifying ‘Jews’ so why not getting rid of the source of age old caused of antisemitism once and for ever? Why should we be vilified in churches and mosques as well as in religious schools then wonder why there is so much dislike if not hatred towards our people here and in Israel?