Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal AO, has welcomed the new anti-racism standard for higher education providers announced by the Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, on Monday.
The standard requires universities to adopt a definition of antisemitism, establish transparent complaints processes, and report annually to the regulator on their compliance.
“I commend the Minister for his leadership in delivering this standard,” Ms Segal said.
“It sets a clear expectation that universities must act to prevent antisemitism and respond decisively when it occurs.”
The standard aligns with longstanding recommendations of the Office of the Special Envoy, which has consistently called for enforceable obligations on universities to address hate on campus.
It also responds directly to the findings of the University Report Card Sectoral Assessment conducted by independent assessor Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO, which found a sector-wide failure by universities to adopt an effective definition of antisemitism.
“Professor Craven’s thorough assessment laid bare the scale of the problem and provided some of the evidentiary foundation for this reform,” Ms Segal said. I would also like to thank Professor Craven for his most useful assessment.
The next stage will be the development of a Statement of Expectations for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). The Special Envoy will work closely where appropriate with the regulator on this process.
Further information about the future of the report card process will follow shortly, along with detail on the next stages of the Special Envoy’s work in relation to universities.