Labor to unveil university racism review

Labor is preparing to unveil a probe into racism at universities as Anthony Albanese says antisemitism is the worst he has seen and one of Australia’s top universities warns pro-Palestine supporters against dividing the student population.

Tuesday’s budget is expected to include new funding for an investigation of racism in the higher education system as part of Labor’s response to the recommendations of a major university review. Encampments supporting Palestine on university grounds have fuelled a national debate about discrimination and free speech on campus.

A clash developed at a pro-Palestinian encampment at Monash University on Wednesday when pro-Israel supporters attempted to storm a stage where speeches were being conducted.Credit: Justin McManus

The university review handed to the government this year had called for “a study into the prevalence and impact of racism across the tertiary education system, on campus and online”.

“An important element of the study would specifically focus on the experiences of First Nations staff and students while another could extend to staff and students from other groups who have experienced racism in the sector,” it said.

While the recommendation was made before students started camping out on university grounds, teal MPs Allegra Spender and Zoe Daniel, who represent electorates in Sydney and Melbourne with significant Jewish populations, on Monday said the review should have a specific focus on antisemitism.

Spender said she had heard of many Jewish students who had either stopped attending university or started concealing their Jewish identity.

Education Minister Jason Clare.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Student surveys and anecdotal evidence both indicate that antisemitism was rising before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and has increased since the resulting Gaza war with many Jewish students experiencing exclusion and hostility,” the crossbench MPs said.

“In support of our final proposal we have written to Education Minister Jason Clare, arguing that reliable research into the prevalence of antisemitism and all forms of racism is necessary to effectively address the scope of the problem.”

They also echoed the Coalition’s demands for tougher action on the issue, calling for a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on campus that would “depoliticise an incredibly serious issue” as well as a special envoy to engage faith leaders and understand the scope of the problem.

While Labor has not responded to those demands, Albanese on Monday told his caucus colleagues “there is no question that antisemitism is being expressed more openly, more than any other time in my lifetime”.

Labor has been at pains to condemn antisemitism as it shifted its support for Israel’s Gaza invasion over several months. Jewish groups were furious that Australia voted for greater rights for Palestine at the United Nations on Saturday morning (AEST).

Pro-Palestinian protest leaders have repeatedly argued their opposition to Israeli government war policy is being falsely portrayed as antisemitism, while their Melbourne University camp was vandalised on Sunday night.

The student protest movement, which has been peaceful in Australia, is pushing universities to cut any ties with weapon manufacturers and condemn Israel’s war in Gaza. Israel has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel took hostages and killed 1200 Israelis last year.

Weeks after a protest leader at the Australian National University declared “unconditional” support for Hamas, the university’s vice chancellor, Genevieve Bell, emailed students to say the institution had a “long history of student protests and contested debate, but this cannot come at the expense of respect and inclusion”.

“Where debate has shifted to causing hate and hurt, we are stepping in. I have received multiple reports and complaints about the behaviour of some participants of the encampment … and there may have been breaches of the student code of conduct,” the email said.

“Today, I have reached out to organisers of the current encampment to discuss ways to enable the protest to continue in more respectful ways.”

In a sign of the level of angst on Australian campuses, in a meeting of the ANU student union last week, one student appeared to perform a Nazi salute and another repeatedly placed her finger below her nose horizontally in an apparent mimicking of Adolf Hitler’s moustache.

“We have taken disciplinary action following this event and will continue to take action where it is necessary to ensure our campus remains a safe place to learn and work,” Bell wrote after the event.

Last week, this masthead revealed Australia’s biggest tertiary body, Monash University in Melbourne, had ordered the removal of “Zionist not welcome” slogans after receiving legal advice that the slogan amounted to vilification.

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