Universities fail antisemitism report card

Australian universities have failed to meaningfully adopt and enforce a definition of antisemitism, according to a new sector-wide assessment released by the Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism.

The University Report Card Sectoral Assessment found no university assessed met the report card’s definitional requirements, which the report said were the foundation for all other measures against campus antisemitism.

Emeritus Professor Greg Craven, former vice-chancellor of Australian Catholic University, conducted the assessment. He had been asked to review universities across four priority areas: definition of antisemitism, policy settings, complaint processes and antisemitism training. A fifth domain, rebuilding trust on campus, was also to be assessed.

But he said the process could not proceed as planned because universities had failed to address the threshold issue.

“No Australian university assessed met the definitional requirements of the report card,” Professor Craven said.

“Without a clear, adopted, and enforceable definition of antisemitism, efforts to combat hatred on campus are fundamentally compromised.”

The report found antisemitism remained a “continuing and very serious problem within Australian universities”, citing intimidation of staff and students, the targeting and silencing of Jewish academics, structural problems and inadequate complaints systems.

Professor Craven said a genuine definition required more than a general statement of support. It had to be clear, prominent, binding and applicable to future rule-making.

He found some universities appeared opposed to defining antisemitism, while others had claimed to adopt a definition without showing evidence it had been built into policies and procedures.

Professor Craven said the sector’s failure to adopt a definition made it impossible to properly assess how universities were handling complaints or training staff to recognise antisemitism.

The report said universities had had ample time to act, with campus antisemitism a public issue since October 2023 and the special envoy identifying universities as a primary focus in July 2025.

Professor Craven said many universities appeared not to have put antisemitism “at front of mind” until the formal assessment process began.

The report said antisemitism in universities was not only “racist, bigoted, unethical and immoral”, but also damaged the reputation of Australia’s education system and undermined universities’ international standing as institutions of research and learning.

Ms Segal said the findings were deeply concerning and accepted Professor Craven’s conclusion that it was inappropriate to assess universities against the other priorities until they had adopted a definition.

“The Report Card process exists precisely to drive genuine, substantive change in how universities respond to antisemitism,” she said.

“This assessment makes clear that the sector has significant work to do.”

Ms Segal said she had written to all 38 university vice-chancellors asking them to continue to engage and take the necessary steps to properly adopt and operationalise a definition of antisemitism.

She has asked universities to send Professor Craven a detailed timetable for adopting and operationalising a definition by 31 August. If that process is on track, individual university report cards are expected to be issued next year.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the report exposed a wider failure by universities to meet their duty of care.

ECAJ president Daniel Aghion said it was “deeply dispiriting” that universities had failed to adopt a definition while Jewish staff and students were facing sharply increased antisemitism.

“No university can develop adequate policies and procedures, including complaints procedures, for dealing with antisemitism, if it cannot first define what its policies and procedures are intended to eliminate,” he said.

“No university can provide professional development programs about recognising antisemitism without first defining what it is that needs to be recognised.”

The ECAJ said that point was reinforced by evidence to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion from British antisemitism expert Dr Dave Rich.

“Because antisemitism doesn’t always present in the most explicit, crude terms … it’s not always straightforward to recognise and identify,” Dr Rich said.

“So, an agreed definition that identifies other ways in which it can manifest and present has to be there as a baseline.”

The report identified five universities as having made progress towards definitional compliance: the University of Canberra, Swinburne University of Technology, Southern Cross University, the University of Southern Queensland and Charles Darwin University.

Professor Craven also said most, though not all, universities had approached the process with goodwill, and that the failure often reflected regulatory and interpretative mistakes rather than lack of commitment.

The National Tertiary Education Union rejected any claim it opposed all definitions of antisemitism, saying it opposed definitions that could restrict academic freedom or prevent legitimate criticism of Israel.

The Group of Eight said it took the report seriously and accepted that universities had more work to do.

Universities Australia said antisemitism was abhorrent and had no place on campus and said universities had strengthened policies, complaint pathways, support services and education programs.

Shadow education minister Julian Leeser said the report showed a sector-wide failure.

“This is an issue that should concern all Australians. History teaches us that what starts with the Jews never ends with Jews. Who is next?” Mr Leeser said.

“We have seen 15 of our fellow Australians murdered on Bondi Beach because of their religion. That should be a massive concern to every decent person.”

“Universities are where the next generation of leaders are formed, and right now they are failing. There needs to be a cultural shift.”

Mr Leeser said the failure to agree on a definition was “pathetic”.

“How can you address a problem if you can’t even agree what it is?” he said.

Mr Leeser has urged universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, which is used internationally by governments and institutions to identify and respond to antisemitism.

The report increases pressure on universities as the federal government prepares new standards, the Antisemitism Education Taskforce continues its work, and the Royal Commission examines the rise of antisemitism in Australia.