The shadow education minister, Julian Leeser, has called for universities to undertake an audit of any classes that teach about the Jewish community, Israel or Palestine.
Appearing before the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion on Friday, Leeser said he had been “very concerned” about antisemitism on university campuses and was not satisfied with how vice-chancellors had addressed the issue after the ۷ October ۲۰۲۳ Hamas terrorist attack.
“I’ve been particularly unhappy with the responses that I’ve received [from vice-chancellors] in relation to their failure to … audit courses dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict to ensure that both sides are presented in the best way possible so that students are best prepared to make their own mind up,” he said.
This week, the inquiry focused on security for the Jewish community, hearing a broad consensus that the risk had risen post ۷ October.
Leeser put a series of recommendations to the commissioner, including for the government to legislate that all universities adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, instead of their own definitions, as the federal government recently mandated. The IHRA definition is contentious because of concerns it could be used to shut down criticism of Israel.
Last year, the chief executive of the Group of Eight, Vicki Thomson, said members had advised that the IHRA definition was “not workable” in an Australian context as it may limit academic freedom.
Leeser said all universities should also undertake “an audit of what’s being taught about Jews and Israel in their classrooms” and remove any “antisemitic materials”. He said universities that taught about the Israel-Palestine conflict should make sure their course materials came from “credible sources” that were “balanced”.
Asked how to ensure classroom content was “balanced”, he said people believed they had shown both sides if they had a Palestinian and Israeli perspective, “but one of those perspectives is a full-throated defence by advocates” and “the other perspective is not at all”.
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Last week, the inquiry heard from vice-chancellors of Australia’s largest universities who said they had sharply changed their protest policies since ۲۰۲۳, prompting warnings of restricted academic freedom.
Leeser said antisemitism was apparent in “three main vectors” today: “the far right among neo-Nazis, among radical Islamists, and among the academic and cultural left”.
The Dor Foundation’s inaugural CEO Tahli Blicblau agreed that “Islamic extremism” and the “extreme-far right” were the most dangerous radical ideologies perpetuating antisemitism, but also took aim at “fringe elements of the far-left and conspiracy movements”. The foundation was launched to combat antisemitism last year.
She said the pro-Palestine movement may have some similar ideological drivers as the “radical far left threat” but “the vast majority” of pro-Palestine protesters weren’t motivated by violence towards Jewish people.
Blicblau said in an “unprecedented” environment of elevated security risk towards the Jewish community following the Bondi terror attack, greater integration was needed between New South Wales law enforcement and Jewish groups.
“If you accept the level of threat is severe … then it follows that the level of integration and engagement between the Jewish community and the law enforcement and intelligence agencies needs to be sufficiently mature to meet the scale of the threat,” she said.
Leeser also gave emotional evidence of his experience on ۱۴ December ۲۰۲۵, the day of Bondi terror attack, when he was attending a Hanukkah event in northern Sydney at the time news broke of the fatal shootings. He said his seven-year-old son “cried inconsolably” and asked him “Dad, are we going to be safe?”
Leeser said since then, his son had been afraid to attend synagogues and outdoor communal events.
“What sort of Australia are we setting up that a seven-year-old child doesn’t feel safe going to a place of worship?” he said. “That’s not the Australia I know and love and it’s not the Australia I want for my children or anyone’s children.”
