Universities Australia has engaged with the Special Envoy's Plan to Combat Antisemitism.
We strongly support the conclusion of the report that antisemitism is unacceptable and will continue to work with the Envoy on matters such as education on antisemitism, which is currently rolling out across our universities. We note the Minister has confirmed the government will consider its response in full once it has received both the Race Discrimination Commissioner's forthcoming report and the report from the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia. We support this approach and welcome the opportunity to contribute to the development of an integrated, evidence-based response.
Universities are places of free speech, debate and dissention. We are required by law to take academic freedom and freedom of speech seriously and we are also committed to these ideals as a matter of principle.
This does not excuse racism or hate speech of any kind, but it raises serious concerns about proposals that might take away funding from individuals or institutions who 'facilitate, enable or fail to act against' antisemitism. The danger of such a power being abused for political purposes is high and the chilling effect that such an approach would have on scholars and students is real. Punitive approaches to institutions or individuals should be restricted to breaches of the law. We urge the government not to agree to such an approach.
At the same time, we have been working with the Race Discrimination Commissioner who is preparing a survey for university staff and students that examines the experiences of people from all racial and religious backgrounds. This will doubtless help further understand the experience of Jewish staff and students; it will also illuminate the experience of other racial and religious minorities.
Universities Australia believes that taking an approach that deals with issues of racism and other forms of discrimination holistically and on a principled basis is the best approach to combatting antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination. Such an approach may still require specific approaches for particular groups but will also ensure that all groups benefit from the same level of protection and inclusion.
We recognise that many groups on our campuses, as in our broader society, face unacceptable discrimination, hate speech or harassment. We note, in particular, that many First Nations colleagues and students have been subject to racism over an extended time and that their voices were intended to be at the heart of the Accord. We propose to work with a range of stakeholders, including the Race Discrimination Commissioner, TEQSA, the Envoys on Antisemitism and Islamophobia, and Indigenous leaders inside and outside our universities to take real and practical actions towards campuses free of racism and all forms of discrimination.
There are many existing methods open to the government in reviewing antisemitism in universities including the National Student Ombudsman, which has specific powers with to assess complaints mechanisms and the Australian Tertiary Education Commission which can utilise compacts to ensure that universities deal with the specific issues that arise on their campuses. The Tertiary Education Quality Standards Authority will maintain overall regulatory responsibility for ensuring that universities take their responsibilities to tackle all forms of racism seriously. It is not clear that additional mechanisms dealing only with antisemitism are helpful in this context.
