Australian universities will soon be required to formally define antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples under new standards from the federal government, aimed at tackling discrimination on campus. The timing lines up with the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion turning its focus to how universities have handled reports of harassment and abuse.
From January 1 2027, universities will need to adopt clear definitions in those three areas, set up transparent complaints processes, and give staff and students guidance about keeping each other safe both on campus and online. The anti‑racism standard was promised in the government’s antisemitism plan released after the Bondi terror attack and follows the Respect at Uni study, which found racism was “systemic” across Australian universities and detailed cases involving Palestinian, First Nations and Jewish students.
“There is no place for antisemitism or any type of hate in our universities or anywhere else,” Education Minister Jason Clare said.
“Unis will have to act to prevent racism and respond when it happens.”
Clare has also warned the royal commission will hear “pretty horrific evidence” from Jewish students about “the abuse, intimidation and harassment” they’ve experienced on campus, and admitted universities were “caught flat footed”, even while noting some have taken steps to improve.
A key detail is that the government won’t force universities to use one specific definition for any of the categories. That means they won’t be required to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has been criticised by some academics and advocates who fear it could be used to conflate antisemitism with criticism of Israel.
Universities Australia has already adopted a sector‑wide definition stating that criticism of the Israeli government is not automatically antisemitic, but can be when it relies on harmful tropes, stereotypes or double standards.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency will be responsible for enforcing the new standards, with the government planning to strengthen its powers so it has more than what Clare has described as “a sledgehammer and a feather, but not much in between”.
Universities will have to report annually to the regulator on how they are meeting the requirements and face potential conditions, penalties or, in extreme circumstances, consequences for their registration if they fail to do so.
Not everyone is happy with the approach. Shadow education minister Julian Leeser has accused vice‑chancellors of being “weak and spineless” for their handling of antisemitism and says “the time for mucking around with these issues is long past”, arguing the government is “categorically” wrong for not mandating the IHRA definition.
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