Coalition’s new education spokesman Julian Leeser targets anti-Semitism on campus
‘This goes right from the very top.’ The Coalition’s new education spokesman, Jewish MP Julian Leeser, has taken universities to task for failing to stamp out anti-Semitism on campus.
Jewish MP Julian Leeser, the Coalition’s new education spokesman, has blasted universities for tolerating anti-Semitism on campus and vowed to keep fighting for a judicial inquiry.
“This goes right from the very top,’’ he told The Australian.
“I think there’s just been weak leadership from too many of our institutions.
“This is an issue right across the sector, it’s so ingrained, and that’s why we need a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on campus.’’
Mr Leeser demanded the Albanese government call a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism at universities, as recommended by the Prime Minister’s own anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal.
“All the Jewish organisations in the country are calling for it and for whatever reason, the Albanese government and (Education Minister Jason) Clare failed to heed those calls, and I think that’s a disgrace,’’ he said.
Mr Leeser said he had been disturbed by the “incredibly bad way’’ universities had dealt with anti-Semitism in recent years – even before the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that triggered a two-year war in Gaza.
Citing an Australasian Union of Jewish Students survey from 2023, he said Jewish students were not attending campus, were hiding their identity or felt universities had failed to deal with their complaints.
“We’ve had terrible situations with (Jewish) academics having their offices urinated on, we’ve had people having a Shabbat dinner in a college having Palestinian flags shoved under their door, we’ve had students spat at, we’ve had visiting academics jostled,’’ he said.
“This is hardly the sort of atmosphere you want in a place that should be there for free inquiry and open debate.
“We should have a degree of respect for people, regardless of their background.’’
Mr Leeser said he was also dismayed by the effect of anti-Semitism on non-Jewish students.
“It’s saying this sort of behaviour in society can be tolerated,’’ he said.
“And if we tolerate this sort of behaviour at a university, we are setting ourselves up for a very impoverished society in the future.’’
Mr Leeser singled out the University of Sydney, which suspended a staff member after The Australian revealed a video of her swearing and screaming at a group of Jewish students, staff and a rabbi celebrating a Jewish holiday on campus last week.
“The treatment of Jewish staff and students at Sydney University over a long period now has been appalling,’’ Mr Leeser said.
“I know the university took action in relation to the people that engaged in those activities most recently, but there’s the culture that’s been allowed to fester on campus.’’
University of Sydney provost Professor Annamarie Jagose said on Thursday that complaints about anti-Semitism had “declined substantially’’ this year.
“We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment and are committed to continuing to play a strong role in tackling anti-Semitism, which is completely unacceptable on university campuses and in the broader community,’’ she said.
“We’ve introduced significant reforms since the disbandment of the protest encampment on campus last year and have seen the number of complaints related to anti-Semitism decline substantially.
“We continue to work on making our campuses safe and welcoming for all.”
Speaking more broadly about his policy priorities for universities, Mr Leeser said “the most important role they have is to educate domestic students’’.
“That’s why they’re there, that’s why the taxpayer puts money into the system,’’ he said.
“They’ve got a role in terms of researching.
“They should be a place where people go to get an education, to give themselves better opportunities in terms of employment and to broaden their horizons.’’
The federal government capped the number of new international students to 270,000 this year – rising to 295,000 next year.
Foreign students make up 31 per cent of enrolments in Australian universities, and 47 per cent of students at the University of Sydney.
The Coalition’s election policy was to cap international enrolments at 25 per cent, but Mr Leeser refused to detail any changes as part of the Coalition’s education policy review.
“I want to take some time to delve into this issue, I don’t want to comment on this one,’’ he said.
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