MEDIA RELEASE: Jewish Council of Australia opposes Coalition’s antisemitism Bill, citing political agenda to stifle free speech on Palestine The Jewish Council of Australia has today expressed its opposition to the Coalition's Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill (2024), warning that the proposed legislation could be used to justify policies which stifle free speech and academic freedom. In a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, the Jewish Council expressed deep concern that the Bill's approach to tackling antisemitism is fundamentally flawed and counterproductive, and that the process is driven by the Coalition’s political agenda to attack universities and silence critics of Israel. The Jewish Council’s submission highlights several key issues with the proposed legislation: Its potential to drive policy which suppresses legitimate speech, academic freedom, protest and debate on University campuses; Its use of contested definitions of antisemitism, including the IHRA definition, which conflate criticism of Israel with racial prejudice; Its reliance on methodologically unsound survey data; Its incompatibility with the French Review of Freedom of Speech in Australian Higher Education Providers (2019) The Jewish Council calls on the Senate Committee to reject this divisive Bill and instead recommends the Government focus on developing comprehensive, intersectional approaches to combat antisemitism and all forms of racism and discrimination in Australian society. Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer of the Jewish Council of Australia: "While we are deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism in Australia, this Bill is not the answer. The Coalition continues to use Jews as political footballs, using fear to drive a right-wing political agenda. This Bill relies on disputed definitions and conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, which ultimately undermines our ability to address real instances of hate and discrimination." Sarah Schwartz, Executive Officer of the Jewish Council of Australia: "We need effective antiracism strategies which acknowledge the interconnectedness of all forms of racism and properly distinguish between unlawful discrimination and political speech. Universities must be protected as places of learning and debate. This Bill represents a thinly veiled attempt to silence Palestinian voices and voices opposed to Israel’s human rights abuses under the misleading banner of addressing racism.”
