Additional Comments from the Australian Greens

1.1The Greens welcome the opportunity to contribute additional comments to the committee report.

1.2The Greens support Recommendation 3 of the committee and are of the view that this Bill should not be passed.

1.3The Greens do not support Recommendation 2 of the committee. The Greens opposed the Inquiry into a Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024 (No. 2) and are opposed to a further inquiry. We are of the view that the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is already leading a comprehensive anti-racism study into universities and that this is the most appropriate mechanism to investigate all forms of racism.

1.4The Greens oppose Recommendation 1. The Greens view is that the AHRC, not the Special Envoy on Antisemitism, is the appropriate office to collaborate with TEQSA to consider university policies and procedures on experiences of racism.

1.5Racism is pervasive, systemic and institutional in Australia, with its roots in this nation’s bloody colonial history tainted with dispossession and violence against First Nations people. This is why the Greens have prioritised combatting racism in all its forms and are the only party to have established a standalone antiracism portfolio and spokesperson.

1.6On behalf of the Greens, I reiterate our opposition to the Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024 (No. 2), that this is a deceitful attempt by the Coalition to weaponise antisemitism to target students and others speaking up and taking action against the genocide of the Palestinian people.

1.7As noted by the Sydney University branch of the National Tertiary Education Union, ‘Weaponising the legitimate and necessary struggle against antisemitism for the narrow purpose of suppressing opposition to the genocidal practices of the state of Israel seriously undermines the combat against all racism, antisemitism included’.

1.8Claims of widespread antisemitism at student encampments and protests against the genocide in Palestine are a gross misrepresentation of the peaceful and welcoming nature of the protests, as made evident by Jews for Palestine WA, who wrote: ‘Our experiences in participating at events at Curtin University throughout this year have been very positive in terms of our interactions with students and Palestinian activists who very clearly welcomed Jewish people and demonstrated zero tolerance of antisemitism or hate speech’.

1.9Jews Against Fascism also wrote that, ‘Pro-Palestine protests on campus have consistently denounced antisemitism and included Jewish students. These protesters are our allies against racism and antisemitism. As such, this suggested Commission of Inquiry is a distraction from the actual problem and will not help us to understand where antisemitism exists nor how it functions’.

1.10Moves to exclude me from this inquiry, the Australian Greens Anti-Racism and Higher Education Spokesperson, in the media by members of the Liberal Party confirmed this was never about dealing with the serious issue of antisemitism in Australian society, but rather a partisan attempt to drive the right-wing media cycle.

1.11During the hearing, Liberal Party senators questioned the right of the Jewish Council of Australia to represent their community, criticised their submission for not containing sufficient personal experience, and consistently interrupted the witnesses in giving their evidence. When Dr Elizabeth Strakosch attempted to address this, saying, ‘I’m feeling like some of these questions are not giving us the space to legitimately address our submission to the inquiry and are instead seeking to trap-‘, she was once again interrupted.[1] The poor treatment of Dr Strakosch and Ms Sarah Schwartz during the hearing only reinforces that this inquiry was set up to silence critics of Israel – including Jewish voices.

1.12The Jewish Council of Australia in their testimony specifically highlighted concerns surrounding the IHRA definition of antisemitism proposed by this Bill. As they note, this definition ‘has long been criticised and rejected by scholars of antisemitism, including its own author, because it is used to chill criticism of Israel and Zionism, particularly silencing Palestinian voices’.

1.13The Jewish Council of Australia warns that the ‘conflation of Jews and Israel’ risks ‘increasing antisemitism’ as it is linked to a rise in the far right, which is encouraged by such a conflation.

1.14Numerous submissions warned against singling out antisemitism and, as the Jewish Council of Australia noted, creating a ‘hierarchy of racism’ which ‘will only generate division.’ The Tzedek Collective also expressed concern ‘about the attempt to essentialise antisemitism and treat it as a distinct and removed form of prejudice’.

1.15The Greens believe the Race Discrimination Commissioner’s office is best placed to lead anti-racism work. The Commission should be fully funded, resourced and empowered to do this work with affected communities. This position is confirmed by the Jewish Council of Australia’s testimony, which heard that the ‘only way to effectively fight antisemitism is by committing to work in partnership with other groups facing bigotry and discrimination and to fight all forms of racism’.

1.16The intention of this Bill is not to tackle rising racism, but to weaponise the discourse surrounding racism, and antisemitism in particular, to target legitimate criticism of the state of Israel and its genocide of the Palestinian people.

1.17The AHRC is already leading a comprehensive anti-racism study into universities that will address all forms of racism. As noted in the submission by UNSW academics, the AHRC is the appropriate body to do this work.

1.18The student encampments for Palestine came about as a response to Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians, and the Australian Government’s refusal to take any meaningful action to stop the slaughter. In many cases, Jewish Australians were key organisers of these encampments.

1.19The Greens are in solidarity with students across the country peacefully protesting, taking action and speaking out for Palestine with such courage in the face of lies, abuse, harassment, and intimidation.

1.20Racism, in all its forms, including antisemitism, is a serious issue in society and should be dealt with as such. While the Coalition plays political games, the Greens will continue to work to get to the root of all forms of racism. TheAustralian Greens have fully supported and engaged with the ongoing Senate Inquiry into Right-Wing Extremist Movements, recognising that the Far Right and Neo-Nazi movements – ignored by the Coalition – are the biggest threat to Jewish Australians.

1.21That the office of the Race Discrimination Commissioner urgently completes and implements the national anti-racism strategy and be fully funded and resourced to do so.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi

Greens Deputy Leader and Senator for New South Wales

Footnotes

[1]Dr Elizabeth Strakosch, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia, Committee Hansard, 20 September 2024, p. 22.