Tough new anti-racism measure for unis, Education Minister warns more to come
Universities in Australia will need to adopt definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia and address complaints under new anti-racism protections that leading educators are set to face with the Bondi royal commission.
The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will resume in Melbourne on Monday, the same day the changes come into force.
Some of Australia’s leading higher education educators, including the Australian National University, the University of NSW, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, are expected to testify at the fourth hearings.
Education Minister Jason Clare said on Sunday the Royal Commission would “hear some pretty horrific evidence”.
“It’s about the abuse, intimidation and abuse they’ve been subjected to at universities, particularly from Jewish students,” Mr Clare said.
He said some universities had “made significant progress” in the past few years.
“But it’s not enough,” he told Sky News.
“There’s still a lot to do.”
Under the changes, all higher education providers will be required to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students and staff, implement transparent complaints processes that “enable representation and participation in decision-making processes” and provide clear guidance on actions to improve safety on campus and online.
Mr Clare said the changes were “just the next step”.
“What we also need to do is give university regulators more teeth, more power when universities fail to act to penalize them,” he said.
“If the regulator currently wants to penalize a university, it has to go to court. I don’t think that’s the right approach.”
“That’s why I will introduce legislation in the coming months that will give the regulator more powers.”
Australian universities’ response to pro-Palestinian actions and alleged antisemitism has been under the spotlight since the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and protests against Israel’s subsequent assault on the Gaza Strip.
A parliamentary inquiry in 2024 found “an alarming and disgusting increase in antisemitism among students and staff at Australian universities”.
“This rise in anti-Semitism has been exacerbated by the reluctance of many university administrators to impose meaningful consequences for misconduct, allowing a toxic environment to escalate,” the investigation said.
University Management Principles
The University Governance Principles will become part of university standards from Monday.
Principles similar to the ASX Corporate Governance Guidelines for listed companies have been developed by the University Governance Expert Council and will require educators to report to higher education regulator TEQSA.
The Code aims to establish “strong expectations” in eight areas: accountability, diversity of perspectives, independence, transparency, reliability, inclusivity and responsiveness, sustainability and responsibility.
According to the principles, public universities will be required to publish the results of governing body meetings and decisions, consultancy expenditure and purpose, external roles undertaken by vice-chancellors and senior managers, and annual remuneration reports.
The legislation follows a 2025 parliamentary inquiry into improving the governance of Australia’s higher education providers.
