Australian universities to define Islamophobia under new anti-racism standards
New national standards will require Australian universities to adopt definitions of Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of racism by 2027
CANBERRA, Australia (MNTV) — Australian universities will be required to develop definitions of racism, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and prejudice against Indigenous people, under changes that come into effect next year, reports SBS News.
Universities will be forced to adopt definitions of racism – including antisemitism, Islamophobia, and prejudice against First Nations people – under a set of new standards.
The changes also require them to implement transparent complaints processes, and provide clear guidance to students and staff on actions that enhance safety and security.
The reforms coincide with hearings at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion that are focussed on allegations of antisemitism on campus.
After Israel began its current genocidal war on Gaza in 2023, student movements mobilized across the country to oppose Israel’s actions, culminating in student encampments at several universities.
The politics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank are also playing into debate about the new racism standards. Under the changes, universities will not be forced to adopt a specific definition of antisemitism, but rather develop their own.
Much of the discussion around safety has centred on student encampments, one of which Yasmine Johnson helped organize at the University of Sydney. The co-convener of Students for Palestine describes herself as an anti-zionist Jew.
“I think our campuses should be spaces of anti-racism, and that people who attend them, who have racist views, which involve support for apartheid states, which are carrying out genocide, should be challenged on those views. And I think it is a fundamental part of freedom of speech and freedom of expression that we have the ability to challenge those views on campus, whether or not they feel what other people feel confronted by that challenging.”
She suggested critics of Israel are being silenced.
“What kind of world am I living in, where a genocide can be carried out, and what happens is that there are calls for muzzling our national broadcasters to say that they can’t speak accurately about this event.
“I have a view that the universities have been curtailing free speech, and I think we should have the right, and our media should have the right, and our politicians should actually stand up to what is happening and speak about the genocide that’s going on in Gaza, which has been denied repeatedly. And I think you know that that’s a fundamental part of our free speech. And so I don’t think that that’s threatening. I think it’s standing up for justice.”
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