‘They’re not really saying Zionist. They’re saying Jew’: Dreyfus on antisemitism, unis, law reform

Australian universities have not been safe places for Jewish students over the past year and vice-chancellors must act urgently to ensure they will be safe by the time the new academic year begins, the Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told a Jewish community event this week.

“Jewish students have experienced fear and rejection and discomfort at a level that has never happened before, which we are endeavouring to do something about. The special Envoy for Antisemitism, Jill Segal, is working on this now with the vice-chancellors, who did not respond adequately in any way initially,” Dreyfus said after delivering the annual Colin Tatz Oration, hosted by The Jewish Independent, at Bondi Pavilion on Monday night.

“The vice-chancellors have started to get there, but they're not there. They're not anywhere close to there. I'm hoping that by the start of the next academic year, universities will again be safe places for Jewish students, but they have not been this year.”

The Attorney-General singled out two universities as exceptions to the general inadequate responses to the explosion of antisemitism on campuses. “Some universities have reacted properly to this. I'll single out University of Western Sydney, with Jennifer Westacott getting right down to it, and Monash, which was better because their vice-chancellor, Sharon Pickering, recognised the problem early and acted to end the encampment, push non-students off campus and speak publicly in a way that otherwise, chancellors didn't.”

Dreyfus said the urgency for addressing the problem is why he does not favour holding a judicial inquiry, as some politicians and Jewish advocates have called for. “We need to work with the universities. Judicial inquiry is a term that means a Royal Commission, and royal commissions are not quick. We need action now.”