Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The issue that is the subject of the bill before us, the Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024 (No. 2), is something that I know is close to the hearts of a lot of speakers, including mine. As a Victorian senator, I know all too well, sadly, the impact that antisemitism is having in our communities and on my friends. It is a scourge on our community. Good friends of mine are distraught about what is occurring in Melbourne, in Sydney and in other parts of the country, but particularly in our two main cities. I would have thought that, in 2025, people in our society would have learnt the lessons from the past and understood that any form of hate speech is just not acceptable in today's society. But the level of hate that is being directed towards the Australian Jewish community is just abhorrent and quite frankly needs to be called out.

It is good to see that, despite some of the other contributions that we heard before and from others in the other place, there is a general bipartisanship on stamping out antisemitism in this country. What the government has also been committed to doing—and has done for some time now—is to try to work with the Jewish community, members of this place in the parliament and our state governments and police, both at a federal and state level, to have a coordinated approach to educating people about why it is not right, why it is not appropriate and why it is having a detrimental impact on the lives of many people in our society.

We have seen protests. We have seen people voicing opposition to events that are currently occurring, and have been occurring for some time, over in the Middle East, particularly in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and we, as a government and as parliamentarians, need to balance that fine line between free speech and the rights of individuals in our society to feel safe and secure, especially when they just want to go about their own lives with their families every single day. The Albanese government has stated on multiple occasions that there is no place for antisemitism. Any kind of racism, vilification or hate speech needs to be called out, and it needs to be stamped out. That includes in our universities.

I can't remember a time when such intense antisemitism and abuse has been directed towards members of the Jewish community. We're a very proud multicultural society where people are currently hurting. It does go to the fabric of our multicultural society and the fantastic policies that I think both sides of politics have embraced for many, many decades—having people come from overseas to call Australia home. So it cannot be left unaddressed.

Just like our schools, universities are places where people from all backgrounds and experiences go to learn, study, teach and strive to make a positive difference in the world, and this includes Jewish students and staff. I know the Jewish community are hurting, because I speak to a lot of them. I speak to many in the community, and I know that they are deeply concerned. It is also of great concern that I and others have heard from members of this community that they feel unsafe on our university campuses. All students and staff have a right to feel and be safe in Australia.

It's also worth reminding the Senate that, as a government, we have established a parliamentary joint committee that is currently conducting an inquiry into antisemitism, and last October the government also referred antisemitism at Australian universities to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights for inquiry. Guess who it's chaired by: Mr Josh Burns from the other place, the member for Macnamara, who is a leading example on this issue, which I know is very close to his heart. I know the committee is going through a very thorough process. As part of that inquiry, the committee is considering the prevalence, the nature and the experience of antisemitism at universities, including the frameworks and policies to prevent and respond to it and to support students and staff. I really hope that vice-chancellors and other university leadership are also looking at this very carefully and taking seriously the processes that this parliament has set up, because it really does start to get to people when, time and time again, they see stories in the media about people making some ridiculous and, quite frankly, stupid comments that are directed towards the Jewish community.

The Jewish community in our country are very proud Australians, just like many others who have migrated here and who call Australia home. They have every right to live their lives without intimidation and prejudice. As political leaders in this place we have an obligation to deal with these very sensitive matters in a very calm, respectful and civil way. We have a responsibility to calm any fears that people have in our society, not to inflame tensions. Australia is a very diverse and multicultural nation, and we should celebrate this every single day. It is a nation where everyone should be able to live without fear of being discriminated against or vilified because of who they are or where they originated from. The government wants people in the Middle East to live harmoniously, and we also want to advocate for peace and stability in that region. That begins right here in our own backyard.

I'd also like to place on the record again my enduring support for the people of Israel and the Australian Jewish community, because it saddens me that there are some who have sought to cause division and who continue to cause division. Language of division or language of hate has a very real effect outside of the walls of the Senate and the other place. So I condemn in the strongest possible terms the rise of antisemitism in our country and those who encourage it. It breaks my heart that the Australian Jewish community have been and continue to be subjected to very hateful prejudice, particularly those in my home state and in my great city of Melbourne.

I vividly recall one particular attack where a Jewish school, Mount Scopus Memorial College, was graffitied. I went to university right next door, for many years. The government has stood in solidarity with that school and with that community. I recall that the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, even visited the school soon after that attack and met with the principal. We also saw that the Prime Minister visited the synagogue that was recently attacked, with the member for Macnamara. Those words that were written on the wall of that school, the vandalism of the offices, the destruction of places of worship and the arson attacks—I am really calling for it to stop, and I know that many in this place are also calling for it to stop.

The Jewish community in our country is very proud and has contributed in many ways to our great country, and people whose history has been so characterised by their persecution by others should feel safe in a country like ours. Like every Australian, they have a right to live their lives without fear and prejudice. As the government has said repeatedly, we believe in the rights of the State of Israel to exist alongside the free and democratic State of Palestine. As community leaders, we have an obligation to call out behaviour that goes against the very essence of our Australian spirit and way of life, and that is why I will keep using my voice to advocate for peace and harmony for Jewish students, teachers and communities. It is the only way forward.