Liberal MP Julian Leeser says the nation’s universities are not doing enough to quell a rise in anti-semitic rhetoric and activism on campuses, and is urging the federal government to open a royal commission inquiry into the matter.
Mr. Leeser, who is Jewish and represents the Division of Berowra in Sydney’s north, told the House of Representatives on June 3 that “Australia faces its greatest threat to multiculturalism with the emergence of anti-semitism.”
Debate has continued about the Israel-Hamas war, sparked by the surprise Oct. 7 attacks launched by the terrorist group against civilian targets in Israel.
In response, Israel launched its counterattacks deep into Hamas-held territory in Gaza.
Meanwhile in Australia, support for the Palestinian cause has spilled over onto the nation’s universities, including encampments at the University of Melbourne, Australian National University, and the University of Queensland.
Some Jewish students have reported being targeted with hate speech, and labelled as “Zionists.”
Inquiry into Anti-Semitism
Mr. Leeser has proposed a private member’s bill to Parliament called, The Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Act 2024.He told Parliament the bill was aimed at dealing with the perceived lack of support from university vice-chancellors towards Jewish students.
“This is a tragedy for Australia which unlike almost anywhere else has been welcoming to the Jewish people. Young Jewish Australians who are taking their first steps in the adult world are facing unprecedented levels of anti-semitism,” Mr. Leeser said.
The bill has been endorsed by the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism consisting of 260 academics from 27 Australian universities.
The Alliance said in a statement that there were “no spaces on campus free from hate, from toilet cubicles to lecturers’ propaganda, to the lawns and cafeterias. For Jews, there is no escape from hatred.”
“Over the past months, our Alliance has appealed—indeed, begged—Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, and university management: stop the war against Jews on our university campuses. With a few notable exceptions, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” the statement read.
Human Rights Commission Report In Progress
In March, Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay condemned the situation saying “anti-semitism has no place in Australia. It needs to be unequivocally condemned.”“We have all seen the footage of the protesters at the Sydney Opera House, are aware of the doxxing that saw the personal information of 600 Jewish Australians leaked from a private WhatsApp group, and saw pro-Palestinian activists choosing to demonstrate inside a Melbourne hotel where relatives of Israeli hostages were staying,” Ms. Finlay said in The Nightly.
In May, the Human Rights Commission was tasked with conducting an inquiry into the matter. For balance, the inquiry also focused on Islamophobia.
A report is expected by the end of 2024, but Mr. Leeser called the probe “woefully inadequate,” adding he thought the Commission has “proven itself to be unready and unwilling to respond to anti-semitism in Australia.”
As a private member’s bill, Mr. Leeser may struggle to gain traction without the support of his and the Labor Party.
However, he may have an ally in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles who paid a visit to the Jewish Mount Scopus Memorial College in Melbourne last month in response to it being tagged with anti-semitic graffiti.
“The levels of anti-Semitism that we have seen in the past few months are more than any that I’ve seen during my lifetime,” Mr. Marles told reporters.
“The sorts of words that we saw written on the walls of this school have no place in our society and it is critically important that at this moment, the nation stands up against this anti-semitism,” he said.
