By Jillian Segal AO, Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism

This handbook supports national efforts to understand, recognise and counter antisemitism across all sectors of Australian society. The handbook is a guide to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism, the definition adopted by the Australian Government, contextualised for Australian life. It reflects the lived experience of Jewish Australians and responds to a deeply concerning rise in antisemitism across the country. The resource is practical, evidence-based and sector-specific. It is aimed for schools, universities, workplaces, government agencies, community organisations and anyone seeking to understand and combat antisemitism in Australia today. The handbook forms part of the broader program of work under the Special envoy's plan to combat antisemitism.

By Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia

On 30 September 2024, the Australian Government announced the appointment of Mr Aftab Malik as Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in Australia. This is an independent submission by the Special Envoy to the Australian Government detailing 54 recommendations. The recommendations follow hundreds of hours of consultations and listening with Muslim communities and Muslim leaders across Australia and engagement with national and international experts. The report outlines the deep impact of anti-Muslim prejudice on the nation and provides a strategic framework with practical steps to address the problem. Four principles of the recommendations have been identified.

Islamophobia engenders social exclusion, which leads to a degraded sense of personal safety, a deterioration in health, impaired performance in education and productivity in the workforce. It also corrodes a sense of belonging, citizenship and trust in government. Islamophobia has far-reaching implications for all Australians because it produces an “us” and “them” dynamic, which undermines Australia’s core values such as mutual respect, inclusion, fairness and compassion. Fear, hatred and the mistrust of Muslim Australians and Islam encourage people to act on fear instead of fact, and legitimise prejudice and dehumanisation. Islamophobia is not a Muslim issue, but a social cohesion issue, and therefore a challenge for all Australians. It is envisaged that the following federal agencies and other authorities will work together and play a key role in actioning the recommendations: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights Department of Home Affairs Attorney-General’s Department Department of Education Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Department of Foreign Affairs and Tradeustralian Sports Commission, Department of Social Services, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
Parliament of Australia — Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards, The Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia (OSECI) 2025.

By J. Rob Bray, Matthew Gray, Deirdre Howard-Wagner Bernard Baffour, Francis Markham, Kate Doery, Elfie Shiosaki, Perri Chapman, Lorana Bartels, Nicholas Biddle

A presentation of the Racism@Uni survey, conducted in August and September 2025, as part of a broader study into racism at Australian universities being undertaken by the Australian Human Rights Commission. The survey asked whether people had experienced racism in the past two years, and if so where. It asked about student and staff experiences of, and perceptions about, their university, their knowledge of policies to address racism, and whether they took precautionary actions to guard against racism. 42 out of the 43 Australian universities participated in the survey. From the 1.65 million invitations sent to Australian university staff and students 76,131 responses were obtained. There are key areas of the study environment at universities which need to be addressed, including the management of small group learning environments, and placements and internships. While some university policies are seen as effective, others, such as the management of complaints, were not, and some policies were seen as being performative, rather than substantive. This is Part A of a two-part report. Part B is Thematic analysis of qualitative responses to question F12.

Key findings

The high levels of interpersonal racism reported at universities reflect wider racism across the Australian community, rather than simply being specific to universities. Some dimensions of reported racism reflect wider conflicts, including in this survey, conflict in the Middle East. A recurrent element of the experience of racism for many staff and students were constraints on being able to speak freely. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students reported high levels of racism and expressed mixed views about university policies and practices. Racism at university impacts negatively on students’ study, staff careers, and on staff and student mental health. It is also deleterious to people’s participation at university and their sense of belonging.