Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council ‘deeply disappointed’ with Minister’s antisemitism response

One of Australia’s most prominent Jewish advocacy bodies has hit out at federal Education Minister Jason Clare, accusing the minister of “conflating” anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare declined to confirm the government’s response to Special Envoy on Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal’s recommendation to strip funding from universities which fail to prevent and address anti-Semitism. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

One of Australia’s most prominent Jewish advocacy bodies has hit out at federal Education Minister Jason Clare, accusing the minister of “conflating” anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in response to questions from journalists.

When asked at a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday whether he supported Special Envoy on Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal’s recommendation to strip funding from universities which fail to prevent and address anti-Semitism, Mr Clare declined to confirm the government’s response.

Instead, he said, he would wait for the recommendations of the Special Envoy in Combating Islamophobia Aftab Malik next month, and the Race Discrimination Commissioner’s findings in a broader review of racism in higher education due to be handed down later this year.

“I don’t intend to look at this report in isolation,” he said.

“The fact is (racism) exists in our universities in all its ugly forms – ask Indigenous students, ask Islamic students, ask Asian students, ask international students … and they’ll tell you that it is real and that action is needed.”

Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal handed down her findings last week. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

The Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council on Thursday expressed “deep disappointment” with the minister’s choice of words and called on the Albanese government to adopt Ms Segal’s recommendations “rapidly and vigorously”.

“First of all, while no one denies that Islamophobia is a serious problem, or that government action to do more about it is warranted, there is absolutely no reason to conflate the anti-Semitism crisis with this separate issue,” AIJAC Executive Director Colin Rubenstein said.

Protesters outside Jason Clare's office in Bankstown at a Teachers & School Staff for Palestine rally in April. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“These comments suggest a flawed approach and lack of seriousness on the Minister’s part in tackling the anti-Semitism crisis in the country that Ms. Segal’s report identified, and proposed a series of measures to remedy.”

Ms Segal’s 16-page report and the recommendations contained within it have sparked backlash from some human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which described the plan’s measures as “repressive”.

Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Dr. Colin Rubenstein. Picture: Supplied

Jewish community leaders, however, have urged the government to act on its findings without delay, describing anti-Semitism in Australia as a “crisis”.

“We thought we were over the days when some in the Government seemed incapable of talking about the anti-Semitism crisis without also talking about Islamophobia in the same sentence,” Dr Rubenstein said.

“The two problems are not the same and not related, and insisting on bracketing them together frankly implies a lack of seriousness about either.

“Surely anti-Semitism is a pressing enough problem to warrant consideration on its own.”