Go8 committee hands down Antisemitism Report

Australia’s eight leading universities have been handed 21 recommendations to combat antisemitism on campus, but a peak body representing Jewish academics says the report falls short of what is needed to bring about real change.

The Go8 Expert Advisory Committee on Combatting Antisemitism (EACCA), chaired by Jewish scientist Alan Finkel, released its findings on June 16.

The committee identified three overarching findings: that universities had already acted but without sufficient clarity; that improved preparedness and consistency would strengthen institutional responses within existing legal constraints; and that piecemeal or symbolic measures were insufficient.

Among its recommendations, the committee called on Go8 universities to adopt the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism and embed it in staff and student codes of conduct, establish pre-determined response frameworks for high-risk events, implement differentiated training programs for students, teaching staff and senior executives, overhaul complaints processes, and review the French Model Code on Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom in consultation with the federal government.

Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal “broadly welcomed” the report.