The university review handed to the government this year had called for “a study into the prevalence and impact of racism across the tertiary education system,on campus and online”.
“An important element of the study would specifically focus on the experiences of First Nations staff and students while another could extend to staff and students from other groups who have experienced racism in the sector,” it said.
While the recommendation was made before students started camping out on university grounds,teal MPs Allegra Spender and Zoe Daniel,who represent electorates in Sydney and Melbourne with significant Jewish populations,on Monday said the review should have a specific focus on antisemitism.
Spender said she had heard of many Jewish students who had either stopped attending university or started concealing their Jewish identity.
“Student surveys and anecdotal evidence both indicate that antisemitism was rising before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and has increased since the resulting Gaza war with many Jewish students experiencing exclusion and hostility,” the crossbench MPs said.
“In support of our final proposal we have written to Education Minister Jason Clare,arguing that reliable research into the prevalence of antisemitism and all forms of racism is necessary to effectively address the scope of the problem.”