Every Australian university fails first antisemitism report card

An independent assessment of Australian universities has found that no institution meets the requirements for adopting a definition of antisemitism, the foundation on which all other measures depend.

The assessment, conducted by former Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Professor Greg Craven AO, was designed to compare individual universities’ performance against an Antisemitism Report Card developed by Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal.

The original intention was to issue separate report cards for each university but Professor Craven said “sectoral failure” meant the issue of definition first has to be addressed at a sector-wide level.

“It quickly became apparent that the university sector as a whole had failed adequately to address the threshold issue of adopting a definition of antisemitism. Without such a basal definition as a criterion for judgement, it is impossible to assess such operational matters as dispute and complaint handling and programs to cultivate awareness of antisemitism."

Professor Craven said definition was the “indispensable and fundamental context within which any attempt to combat antisemitism must take place”.

“Moreover, ‘adoption’ of such a definition comprises a very public commitment to reject the very concept of antisemitism as defined and to take action against designated behaviour.”

The report noted that to many Australians the offensive activity on campuses “necessarily imply that disciplinary measures, complaints procedures, student and staff safety, and campus security are deficient” and that “universities themselves are less than appropriately concerned with antisemitism as an educational phenomenon."