The University of Sydney is an “incubator” of hatred against Jews, a parliamentary inquiry into anti-Semitism at Australian universities has been told.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry considering the prevalence, nature and experiences of anti-Semitism at universities - including frameworks and policies to prevent and respond to it and support for students and staff - opened on Friday.
It follows the release on Wednesday of the Hodgkinson report, commissioned by the University of Sydney Senate to review its policies and procedures.
The review was ordered after Gaza solidarity encampments were set up on its campus and others across the nation in May to call on institutions to cut ties with weapons manufacturers they said were supplying arms to Israel.
University of Sydney vice chancellor Mark Scott told the inquiry it had made significant changes to its policies, procedures and practices, including strict guidelines around planned protests and bans on camping and protests in any buildings, increased campus security measures and improved responsiveness to concerns such as offensive posters and graffiti.
The Hodgkinson report “provides us with a clear road map for ensuring a safe and welcoming campus for all students and staff while at the same time safeguarding our commitment to free speech and academic freedom”, Professor Scott said.
“Our senate has accepted all 15 recommendations in principle and has charged me and the university executive with designing a blueprint for consulting on and delivering them."
A Senate committee recommended the parliamentary inquiry after receiving hundreds of submissions from Jewish students and staff outlining increased anti-Semitism at universities following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Committee chair Josh Burns told Prof Scott it was “glaring” that a survey showed more than half the Jewish students at his university said they had hidden the fact they were Jewish on campus.
Deputy chair Henry Pike said he was concerned anti-Semitism at the University of Sydney “isn't coming from outside, but is within now”, citing five incidents involving staff.
“It would appear to your average Australian that your university isn't just a sanctuary for anti-Semitism, but it is actually an incubator of anti-Semitism in this country,” he told Prof Scott.
The university's deputy vice chancellor Annamarie Jagose rejected the assertion “that somehow Sydney is a crucible for anti-Semitism”.
“We have been extremely active and alert in negotiating properly through natural justice channels in order to reach the right outcomes,” she said.
Zionist Federation of Australia chief executive Alon Cassuto said university leadership had fostered an environment where a lack of disciplinary action “has emboldened students to think that they can do and say whatever they want with no repercussions”.
“Right now, university campuses are quiet ... but we should not be lulled into a sense of security that this crisis has somehow magically disappeared - campuses all across Australia continue to be a tinderbox.”
Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal said she agreed universities “were a cauldron of anti-Semitism”.
“Those universities where it is normalised ... have eaten away at the fabric of our society,” she said.
Ms Segal said she had asked universities to send her their policies and frameworks, many of which had been reviewed since the encampments.
“The fact that universities generally had not adopted a definition of anti-Semitism I think was stark evidence of the fact that they didn't have effective complaint schemes,” she said.
“Of the 65 people I interviewed, maybe 55 students, not one had had their complaints properly dealt with.”
The inquiry, which is accepting submissions until December 20, is due to deliver its report in March.
