Let unis pick, says Gonski

The chair of the Prime Minister’s antisemitism education taskforce told the Royal Commission on Tuesday that he would personally regard it as “a very good solution” if universities were permitted to adopt either the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism or the competing Universities Australia definition.

David Gonski, the Jewish businessman appointed in December to chair the taskforce and best known for the 2011 review of school funding that bears his name, said the choice of definition was not a matter the taskforce had resolved, and repeatedly stressed he was speaking for himself. He is a former chancellor of UNSW.

“UA’s definition has been around for two years,” Gonski said. “There are many who prefer the IHRA definition, and indeed the federal government has adopted that definition, and a number of state governments have too. So I don’t think it’s for me to say which one.”

He added: “If the interpretation were to give, say, universities an alternative of those two, I personally would regard that as a very good solution.”

Gonski also told the commission he also hoped the review of the Australian Curriculum would go beyond Holocaust studies to cover Jewish history and the Jewish contribution to Australia – a broader ask than the taskforce first made.

“The Holocaust must never be forgotten, but it is only one part, and it’s a very important part of all Jewish families, sadly,” he said. “But there is a lot of contribution by Jews to Australia, to the history of Australia.”

Gonski said the argument had been put to the taskforce and had changed its position. “Because we were pushing for Holocaust studies alone into the change to the curriculum, we are hopeful that ACARA will now look more broadly.”

He said he had underestimated the difficulty of the task. “I looked at it and thought this is going to be simple. That was a premature thought.”

The taskforce will not issue recommendations when it reports in December, with the government expected to establish a permanent social cohesion education advisory council in its place.

“It shows that at the end of the year, it’s not the end of the game,” Gonski said. “I hope some of our green shoots will be very well cultivated and harvested.”

Asked by Commissioner Virginia Bell about social cohesion, Gonski said most Australians genuinely valued it, and that Jewish identity and its festivals should be embraced as part of everyday Australian life.

“What I would hope your commission and your thoughts going forward will help people understand is that fair go is something for everybody, and we should all be open and enjoy diversity,” he said. “If you happen to be Jewish, you shouldn’t be seen as ‘badly’ diverse … you should be [seen as] part of [Australian] life.”