Attributable to Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy:

Thank you, Chair.

I’m Luke Sheehy, Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia, representing Australia’s 39 comprehensive universities.

Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the various lands we are all gathered on today and pay my respects to elders past and present.

I want to thank you the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights for the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion.

Antisemitism, sadly, is not a new issue on university campuses and not in society more broadly.

But since the horrific attack on Israel on October 7 last year, it has become more widespread.

We can’t look away from it.

We can’t ignore it.

To do so would be a betrayal of the Jewish people.

No one should ever be treated differently because of their ethnicity.

Not on campus.

Not in our communities.

Not in Australia.

No one, nowhere.

The past year has been incredibly difficult for Jewish people – including those in this room.

I want to acknowledge their pain and the courage of the Jewish students who have shared their stories.

They have told me privately.

They have spoken to journalists.

They have given evidence to the Senate.

And some are here again in this building today and will appear later.

We owe it to them to do more than just listen.

We must act.

Since the October 7 attack, Universities Australia has been working with our members, parliamentarians and student groups to tackle antisemitism on campuses.

Our members have cooperated with the Government, keeping the Minister for Education and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency informed about steps taken to protect students and staff in the wake of this event.

We fully support the Government to make universities safer for everyone, including:

• the study on the prevalence and impact of racism in universities
• the appointment of Ms Jillian Segal AO as Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia, and
• the appointment of Aftab Malik as Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in Australia.

We have been working closely with Ms Segal, contributing to a national definition of antisemitism and helping develop training materials for staff and students.

We have established a sector-wide working group of experts to support her important work, ensuring a unified response.

We also back TEQSA’s ongoing monitoring of university responses to complaints of racism, including antisemitism.

Let me be clear, there is no place for racism of any form in our universities.

We unequivocally oppose racism, threats to safety, hate speech, intimidation, bullying and harassment.

While regrettable, instances of these behaviours do sometimes play out on campuses, as has been the case with a rise in antisemitic behaviour in the last 12 months.

The steps we have and continue to take in response to any incidents of this nature are done in line with our legal obligations.

To be recognised as a university under the Higher Education Threshold Standards, which are in the Higher Education Support Act, institutions must be committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech – freedoms that do not, and must not, extend to hate speech.

Finally, I want to reassure the committee that all universities have codes of conduct or student charters to ensure lawful and respectful behaviour.

Diversity, wellbeing, inclusion, equity and inclusion measures are in place to promote safe and welcoming campuses for everyone.

Thank you, Chair.

I am happy to take questions.

ENDS