“Universities have not met their duty of care”, the Australian Human Rights Commission concludes in its major survey-based study of racism on campus.
Rather, it “is systemic across Australian universities, particularly affecting First Nations, Jewish and Palestinian students and staff.”
And Antisemitism, Islamophobia, antiPalestinian, anti-Arab and antiMiddle Eastern racism have reached unprecedented levels in Australia in the last two years.
The Commission reports its survey of 72,000 respondents at 42 universities across the country, including 11,000 academic and 17,000 professional staff.
Overall, more than 90% of religious Jews and Palestinians reported experiences of racism. 80% plus of First Nations, Chinese, secular Jews, Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian people also did.
But only 6% of those who experienced direct racism complained to their university, and of those that did, vast majorities were dissatisfied with management responses; between 70% and 80% of staff and 60– 70% for students. International students had the lowest dissatisfaction rate (62%).
The survey discovered similar rates across the system, but reports 11 universities had “advanced” anti-racism policies and strategies, 30 had “limited” ones and two offered no evidence of any. Overall, the commission found, “students report that in classrooms, racist remarks are ignored or minimised.”
The Commission has not published university-specific statistics; however it singles out institutions whose work it approves of. The University of Melbourne, for example has “the most comprehensive institutional response to anti-racism.” And the University of Wollongong’s Healing and Recognition Track, “offers a structured and locally grounded process, developed in collaboration with Aboriginal Elders, to acknowledge institutional harm and support healing."
Universities Australia was quick to speak for the system yesterday, announcing “universities accept our responsibility to confront racism wherever it occurs” and committing to the Commission’s call for a “national Racism@Uni Working Group to develop a coordinated Action Plan for the sector.”
The Group of Eight promised one measurable outcome “strengthening complaints processes,” and two that can mean whatever managements want them to, “improving racial and religious literacy” and, “ensuring our campuses are places where academic freedom and safety genuinely coexist.”
The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) said doctoral students were the most over-represented group of respondents, with 17.6% of international and domestic students combined experiencing racism, which underscored the importance of independent complaints channels being established. "These results highlight the growing social divide at our universities and the need to reinvigorate their mission for respectful dialogue," CAPA stated.