Topics: University of Sydney capitulation to protesters, Jewish boycott, Private Senator’s Bill for a Commission of Inquiry into antisemitism at Australian Universities.
Clinton Maynard: Let’s bring in the Shadow Education Minister for Education, Senator Sarah Henderson. Thank you for your time, Sarah.
Senator Henderson: Clinton, terrific to join you,
Clinton Maynard: You would have heard what Andy explained there, her experience. How do you react to that?
Senator Henderson: Look, I think it’s absolutely appalling. I know Andy, I’ve done a roundtable with her and a group of other academics and students from various universities in Sydney and I did another student safety roundtable in Melbourne. And what we are seeing on university campuses is absolutely unacceptable. And now we see the University of Sydney in a full-blown crisis, after it effectively and knowingly did a deal with people associated with an organisation, an extremist organisation, which is a prescribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and other countries. So, we have seen – and I’ve just looked at the statements that Jason Clare has issued – which is on your website, Clinton. We are continuing to see a gross failure of leadership from the Albanese government. At no time has anyone including the Education Minister Jason Clare, condemned the encampment, which is fueling so much antisemitic hate and incitement. And I’m very pleased today, there is some news that we hope to take our bill to establish a commission of inquiry into Antisemitism at Universities to a full-blown Senate inquiry and we hope to drag University Vice-Chancellors before us and to answer questions as to why they are so failing Jewish students and staff.
Clinton Maynard: Look I’m not Jewish, okay. My kids are a few years away from university, but we’ve actually started looking at courses. my daughter’s 15. Now, as somebody who is in the middle of all this, I would actually now have second thoughts about sending my daughter to Sydney University because the way this is all playing out, I’d be thinking well you know what go to New South (Wales), go to Wollongong.
Senator Henderson: Well some of the universities have done a much better job but I have to say at Sydney, at Melbourne and also at ANU, they have done far too little far too late, including failing to enforce their codes of conduct, Clinton. So, they’ve actually got really significant codes of conduct, university rules against discrimination, intimidation, racial vilification and the like. And they have just fundamentally failed to uphold their own rules, including the unauthorised encampments, no one’s allowed to camp overnight, on university grounds, and the vice chancellor at Sydney, Mark Scott, has turned a blind eye, not just to the extremists, but also to the breach of university rules. It’s just not good enough. But as I say, for far too long, this government Clinton has been speaking out of both sides of its mouth, it continues to draw a false equivalence between antisemitism and other forms of racism, including Islamophobia. And yes, there is Islamaphobia in our community, no doubt about it. But we have seen an extreme situation with antisemitism, particularly on university campuses, reports of more than 700 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents. And as Andy was mentioning, I mean, the sights of these men protesting and menacing. And then the university says `Oh well, it’s all fine, because they’re not prescribed as a terrorist organisation here in this country’.
Clinton Maynard: Last one for you Sarah. Should Mark Scott go, as a result of his handling of this?
Senator Henderson: Look I said a number of weeks ago, if Mark Scott, as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney cannot keep Jewish students safe, then he should resign. And I now think it’s getting to the point where his position is becoming untenable. As I say, we are seeing a full-blown crisis at the university. There’s a new vice, there’s a new chancellor, I should say, David Thodey starting on Monday, I very much hope he can fix things immediately. But certainly if things can’t be fixed, I think Mark Scott has a very, very short future at the university.
Clinton Maynard: Thanks for your time, Senator.