Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the committee's report, incorporating dissenting reports, entitled Inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—In August 2023, the Social Research Centre released a report on the experiences of Jewish students on our university campuses. It found that almost two in every three students had experienced antisemitism on campus. Over half the Jewish students were hiding their identity on campus, and almost a quarter of all Jewish students that took part in the survey were avoiding campus altogether. And yet, as many of the vice-chancellors gave evidence in our inquiry, the situation for Jewish students and staff since October 7 2023 has only gotten worse. We have seen students glorify terrorism, alleged Nazi salutes, staff offices occupied, academics doxxed and students' requests for support ignored. For too long, Jewish students have been vilified, intimidated, excluded from societies and clubs, ostracised in student union meetings and fundamentally let down by the university procedures that are meant to look after their safety and their wellbeing. The status quo is not good enough. The status quo must change before students return to campus in a few weeks' time, and that was the purpose of our inquiry.

On 29 October 2024, the Attorney-General requested that the committee inquire into and report on antisemitism at Australian universities and consider not only the prevalence, nature and experience of antisemitic activities at universities but also the effectiveness of university frameworks to prevent and respond to antisemitism, as well as the support provided to Jewish students and staff. We received 47 public submissions and held four public hearings during which we heard evidence from numerous universities, community groups, peak bodies, the Department of Education, and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. The committee also had close regard to the public evidence provided to the legal and constitutional affairs committee inquiry into the Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024. That inquiry received over 600 submissions, many from Jewish students and staff detailing their own personal experiences.

What became evident was not only were there brazen incidents of antisemitism that went without consequence or leadership by some of the university vice-chancellors but there was a serious lack of consistency across our university sector. Some universities had clear policies on antisemitism, and others were without an adequate understanding or commitment to combating incidents of antisemitism. We heard from Jewish students and staff who did not have faith in university reporting procedures to keep them safe. They didn't feel that their experiences were being acknowledged or taken seriously, nor did they feel they were being acted upon. They felt they were let down by an institution that was meant to be welcoming and safe, and our inquiry highlighted the importance of listening to the lived experiences of Jewish students and staff. There was a stark difference between the universities who engaged proactively with the Jewish community and let their experiences guide the university's response and those who did not. The committee has made 10 recommendations, most of which relate to policies that universities can put into place for the beginning of this academic year, including direct engagement with Jewish students and staff by the vice-chancellors; adopting a definition of antisemitism; introducing antisemitism training; simplifying the complaints process to encourage students to report any incidents; and publishing de-identified complaints reports to improve transparency and trust in the system. Importantly, the implementation of these recommendations must be monitored, and there must be an improvement in accountability across our country. Within 12 months of tabling this report, the National Student Ombudsman should review university practices to reduce antisemitism on campus.

Over the summer, we worked tirelessly to be able to table this report today because immediate action is what is required. It should not have taken a national antisemitism crisis and a parliamentary inquiry for universities and vice-chancellors to take the concerns of Jewish students and staff seriously, concerns that they have been sharing for years. It shouldn't have taken this moment for universities to take accountability and consider their own duty of care. It shouldn't have taken our committee's work for universities to stand up and proactively, with firmness, reject antisemitism on campus. Right now, we are at a pivotal point where universities must implement significant changes to ensure that Jewish students and staff go back to campus for 2025 knowing their safety is taken seriously and, if there are incidents on campus, they will be addressed in a timely and transparent way.

I want to thank all of the committee members for working together on this report. I especially want to make note of the deputy chair, who was a very fine colleague throughout this inquiry and who brought great intent and effort to this inquiry and was firm and fair and very easy to work with. I thank you, Deputy Chair. The recommendations in this report were bipartisan, and I'm proud of that, and they should be monitored and implemented regardless of what happens at the election. I want to thank and acknowledge the committee secretariat, who spent much of their summer compiling this report and the evidence given in it. I want to thank them for their tireless work in supporting me and all of the committee members. Most importantly, I want to thank the Jewish students and staff who shared their experiences with both our committees. The advocacy that you provided on behalf of the Jewish students and the entire Jewish community as well as all minorities who attend university means that change is coming. For that, you should be proud. For that, we are grateful.

Universities must act now. There has been progress. We are seeing an improvement in attitudes by some university leaders, and I have no doubt of the role our committee has played in that. I also want to acknowledge the work that the universities are doing engaging with the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism as well as through the Group of Eight; however, significant reform is still needed so that Jewish students and staff are safe on campus. Our report outlines the policies needed to achieve exactly that. It is now up to the universities. We are watching, and we will continue to ensure that our Jewish students and staff are safe, just as everyone deserves to be. I commend the committee's inquiry report to the House.

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