Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Of course, the government has had years to act, along with universities, but, unfortunately, to date, it has failed to provide protection, recourse or cultural change. The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia, Jillian Segal AO, noted that antisemitism is ingrained and normalised in academia and in cultural spaces. The special envoy has proposed to work with government and grant authorities to withdraw or terminate public funding of universities where antisemitic conduct isn't adequately addressed. Ms Segal is the government's expert adviser on addressing the specific problem of antisemitism, and, after deep consultation, she's produced a clear and practical road map for ending a crisis of 21 months and counting. This is something that can wait no longer. The special envoy has recommended:

Should significant problems remain at universities by the start of the 2026 academic year, as assessed by the Envoy's report card, a dedicated judicial inquiry should be undertaken to address systemic issues, including the investigation of foreign sources of funding for antisemitic activities and academics at universities.

This report shows that antisemitism is not just a problem of security or law enforcement; it's a cultural and societal cancer that needs attention through our schools, our universities, our media and even the arts. The Segal report confirms what Jewish Australians have been telling us for months: antisemitism has surged to crisis levels while our Prime Minister has refused to act. A judicial inquiry remains the appropriate way forward for a serious government to identify and root out these issues. I commend to the House the second reading amendment I will shortly be moving.

I want to conclude by reiterating the coalition's support for this bill, because the matters I've spoken about today have a common thread. All of my remarks today are addressed at the single basic point that safety on campus is for everyone. This bill is the product of work from groups like Fair Agenda, End Rape on Campus, the Stop Campaign and many others who've been concrete and vocal on this issue for years. I applaud them, and I support them. Their message is simple: safety cannot be optional, and silence cannot be policy. I applaud and support their message.

To universities, whose leadership has failed time and again on so many issues about student safety on campus: while some—and, occasionally, most—of you are doing serious work, this bill should reward the serious and require the rest to lift. To the students and staff across Australia: your right to learn and your right to work in safety are not negotiable. I say that because, when we strip away the acronyms and the architecture, this bill is about dignity, safety and justice for every person who sets foot on a university campus. The coalition supports its purpose and will work to see it succeed, but success will not come from slogans or from centralising power. It will come from implementation. Our focus on this matter cannot be allowed to lapse after today. This isn't a one-and-done bill.

We should also be honest about what we do not yet know. Not every program works in every setting. We should be evidence led and open to refinement. We will judge this reform by outcomes: fewer incidents, higher confidence of students to report, faster and fairer resolutions and a better culture on campus. It behoves all of us in this place to revisit these issues as required in light of the results. Constructive bipartisanship matters here. There is no monopoly on compassion, and there should be no tolerance for complacency. That's the spirit in which the coalition's concerns are raised—concern for results on the ground that will improve the safety of our students and our staff in our centres of higher learning. It is this same spirit that I hope will support the second reading amendment. I commend the bill to the House and I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House urges the Government to establish an additional National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Antisemitism, which:

(1) makes it clear to all higher education students, staff and providers that everyone on a higher education campus has a right to be safe;

(2) imposes on universities a range of obligations concerning student and staff safety which is very important given the alarming increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses since 7 October 2023; and

(3) ensures that higher education providers must comply with recommendations of the National Student Ombudsman concerning the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Antisemitism".

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