Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I absolutely refute the allegations of Senator Faruqi. This is not an attempt to subvert legitimate protest on university campuses. This is an amendment which preserves these funds for their proper use—that is, for the health, welfare and wellbeing of students on campus. I said nothing at all, Senator Faruqi, about shutting down protests other than, of course, that the universities have done an appalling job in not shutting down antisemitism. Things are better than they were, but it's been a shocking 12 months. This does not go to the legitimate right of students to protest. What this amendment is all about is ensuring that these funds are used properly and that they are used for the health, the wellbeing and the legitimate needs of students. It's not for engaging in printing vile posters or engaging in transport costs so that students can go to the Land 400 protest, as I understand and am told occurred in the case of one university student led organisation. We want to make sure that this very significant amount of money reaches where it's meant to go.

I will also address the comments of the minister. I appreciate what the bill provides in relation to health and welfare, food and drink, and all the rest of it, but the bill does not prohibit these funds being used for protest and protest activity. If the government shares our concerns—and I think the government should share our concerns—then it should back this amendment. If your intention is to not support protest activity, not to support printing costs to be printing vile posters and not to support all the other stuff that's gone on in universities, then the bill fails to make that clear. It's not prohibited. This makes it crystal clear that those sorts of activities—you'll note in the amendment that we've limited the scope of these activities fairly narrowly. If you share our concerns about using these funds properly, you will support this amendment.

I will finish by saying that I totally disagree with the way that you've reflected on the Minister for Education, Mr Clare. Mr Clare on many occasions has failed to show adequate leadership when it comes to combatting antisemitism on Australian university campuses. He never once publicly spoke against the encampments, despite the fact that they were fuelling and inciting horrific levels of antisemitic hatred. He never once raised publicly the concerns about members of Hizb ut-Tahrir menacing Jewish students on campuses, which was frankly abhorrent, particularly under circumstances when the University of Sydney was on notice that those people were on campus and for many weeks did nothing until it was exposed in the media. Minister Clare never said anything about the two visiting Israeli academics who were effectively locked in a room, barricaded, in what was the most appalling conduct at the University of Sydney. You can make the motherhood statements you like, but I'm afraid Minister Clare has a very shocking history in not appropriately safeguarding Jewish students and not appropriately speaking with moral courage and clarity in relation to antisemitism.

Going back to this amendment, I would say to you, Minister, if it is your intention that these funds not be used to support protest activity, which could of course be used for very improper purposes, then I would urge you, please. I don't expect the Greens to support this amendment, but I do expect that the government would be responsible enough to support this amendment. It's a responsible amendment. It reflects the proper purpose of these funds. It's the right thing to do, and I would ask the government to support this amendment.