ECAJ warns of flaws in university racism survey

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has raised concerns about flaws in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Racism@Uni survey process.

It warns that antisemitism and anti-Israeli racism on campus may not be accurately recognised or recorded. The peak body is also urging Jewish staff and students to share copies of their survey responses with the ECAJ so the information can be verified and incorporated into community advocacy.

The Racism@Uni survey was commissioned by the Department of Education in response to a Universities Accord recommendation, aiming to gather national data on racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia across Australia’s universities. The Commission says invitations to staff and students were sent out from 11 August 2025, with some universities rolling out later in August.

 

 

ECAJ Head of Legal Simone Abel said many in the community are weary of repeated surveys and inquiries, and fear this one will do little to improve their daily reality. She stated that Jewish and Israeli students and staff have grown tired of completing surveys and submissions while finding campus life remains hostile.

Abel also criticised the framing of the survey. “The survey fails to recognise anti-Israeli racism as a distinctive phenomenon. We have seen significant numbers of complaints from staff and students of Israeli background concerning conduct which isolates, dehumanises and vilifies them because they are Israelis, irrespective of their political, religious or ideological beliefs. Anti-Israeli racism ought to be recognised alongside anti-Palestinian racism.”

She added that ECAJ has concerns about data credibility and verification. “The Commission has no credible means of verifying the accuracy and representativeness of the survey data. The Centre for Social Policy Research (POLIS) at the Australian National University is responsible for conducting the survey even though the ANU has not adopted the IHRA definition and its Academic Board recently recommended against adopting Universities Australia’s new definition.

A University of Sydney academic who asked not to be named said the climate on campus has left many feeling delegitimized and victimised. “We just want to come to work and feel safe. We are not targeting anybody. We want to do our job without constantly being confronted or questioned about our morals and where we stand politically.”

She said Jewish staff are often accused of inventing concerns. “Instead of stopping to ask what might be making Jewish staff and students feel unsafe, the pushback has been to say we are making it up, that we are victimising ourselves in order to silence others.”

She added that online platforms have amplified hostility. “On Viva Engage (Microsoft’s workplace social media platform used by Sydney University staff), I have been accused of fabricating evidence and told that antisemitism on campus never happened.” She said some students and staff now hide their identity in class. “I no longer tell my students I am Israeli. In the past, when I did, some quietly stopped attending my classes and moved to another stream.”

University of Sydney academic Andy Smidt (now at Southern Cross University) said the environment has taken a toll. “It is a mess of anger and bad behaviour. People are hurting on both sides, but you have to be able to go to work and do your job without feeling harassed.”

Smidt added that a constant stream of hostile content on internal platforms interrupts ordinary academic work, and the university has not made a serious attempt to address this.

Community organisations supported the ECAJ’s statements. The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) stressed the importance of ensuring Jewish voices are recorded in both national and community reports, while the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) reaffirmed that its data provides critical insights into campus safety and the impact of antisemitism across Australian universities.

The ECAJ’s recent submissions to federal inquiries warn that antisemitism on campus has reached unprecedented levels, documenting incidents of students being called “baby killers” or told to “go back to the gas chambers.” On campus, posters have been defaced with swastikas, and staff vilified online as part of a supposed “Zionist lobby.” The council has urged universities to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and to consistently enforce their codes of conduct.

Abel states that ECAJ is neither discouraging nor encouraging participation in the Racism@Uni survey. However, if Jewish respondents do complete the survey, ECAJ asks that they also send a copy of their responses to ECAJ so the information can be verified, retained in a de-identified form for advocacy, and incorporated into the annual Antisemitism Report. Survey respondents are also encouraged to explicitly refer to the 5A Survey and Report on Antisemitism at Universities.

Copies of surveys can be emailed to [email protected].