Landmark Australian Report Finds Racism 'Deeply Embedded' Across University Campuses

On a Tuesday morning in Brisbane, Federal Education Minister Jason Clare stood alongside Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman to present the findings of a study that had been sitting on the government's desk since December. The Racism@Uni Study, the first national investigation of its kind commissioned by the Australian Human Rights Commission, surveyed more than 76,000 students and staff across 42 universities — and the picture it paints of campus life is deeply uncomfortable for an education sector that markets itself as a beacon of diversity and inclusion Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The headline numbers are stark. Seventy percent of respondents reported experiencing or witnessing racist behaviour directed at their community. Fifteen percent said they had been personally subjected to direct racism at university — racial slurs, taunts, and in some cases physical assaults in lecture halls and on campus grounds. Yet just six percent of those who experienced direct racism ever filed a formal complaint, citing fear of consequences and a pervasive lack of trust in university grievance systems Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The breakdown by community tells a more granular story, and one that defies simple political categorisation. Religious Jewish and Palestinian respondents both reported racism rates above 90 percent — the highest of any group surveyed. First Nations, Chinese, secular Jewish, Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian respondents all exceeded 80 percent. International students experienced racism more frequently than their domestic counterparts or university staff Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The report arrived against the backdrop of escalating campus tensions that have tracked global events with alarming fidelity. Anti-Asian sentiment surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Racism directed at First Nations Australians spiked during the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum. And the Israel-Gaza conflict triggered what the commission found was a simultaneous and significant rise in antisemitism, anti-Palestinian sentiment and Islamophobia — communities that found themselves targeted from opposite directions by the same geopolitical crisis Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The testimonies collected in the report are difficult to reduce to statistics. An Aboriginal student recalled a lecturer making a "petrol sniffing" comment about Aboriginal people in a lecture hall . A First Nations student who filed a racism complaint was told 12 months later that the university could not proceed because too much time had passed — what Commissioner Sivaraman described as "almost Kafkaesque in its inefficiency and the way in which it suppresses a complaint" Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me.. Palestinian students reported being required to provide official death certificates of family members in Gaza before extensions or deferrals were considered. One student described being physically assaulted; others said they feared expressing their views over concerns they would be deported Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

Jewish students described a sustained deterioration in their campus experience since October 7, 2023. One was harassed for wearing a kippa while walking to class. Another recounted hearing people scream "send them to the camps" at a group of Jews on campus Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me.. Liat Granot of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students said it was "horrifying" but not surprising that 94 percent of Jewish respondents had experienced some form of antisemitism. "Since October 7, 2023, Jewish students have faced a clear and sustained increase in antisemitism," she said. "For too long, our concerns have been ignored, minimised or dismissed as 'political'" Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

African students and staff were also targeted with remarkable crudeness. One academic reported being called a "black shit," "fug-ly" and "monkey." Others described being followed by campus security in an intimidating manner — an experience that carries unmistakable undertones of racial profiling . Students from Asian backgrounds described racist taunts about their physical appearance, with one focus group participant recounting how classmates mocked the shape of her eyes and made comments about her smell, leaving her feeling dehumanised Taunts, harassment and assaults: landmark report finds racism at Australian universities is ‘systemic’theguardian.com·SecondarySurvey by Australian Human Rights Commission found universities failed to meet duty of care, while complaints processes were ‘Kafkaesque’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Racism is “systemic” at Australia’s universities, according to a landmark report found students have mocked their Palestinian peers with shouts of “terrorism”, some students have been followed by campus security and First Nations students have.... An Indian nursing student reported that a professor questioned the authenticity of her first-year assignment, doubting that a student of her background could produce work of that quality Taunts, harassment and assaults: landmark report finds racism at Australian universities is ‘systemic’theguardian.com·SecondarySurvey by Australian Human Rights Commission found universities failed to meet duty of care, while complaints processes were ‘Kafkaesque’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Racism is “systemic” at Australia’s universities, according to a landmark report found students have mocked their Palestinian peers with shouts of “terrorism”, some students have been followed by campus security and First Nations students have....

The policy audit component of the study found that only 11 of the 42 universities surveyed had advanced, stand-alone antiracism strategies. Just one university regularly reported on antiracism outcomes. The complaints systems that do exist were characterised as bureaucratic labyrinths that effectively discourage reporting — a structural feature that some critics argue functions less as an oversight failure than as a convenient pressure valve Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The political response has been characteristically layered. Minister Clare said the government would "consider" the report's 47 recommendations as part of broader higher education reforms, including legislation to empower the university regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. "I want to change the way our universities act so they are safe places for students wherever they come from," Clare said. The government had received the report in December but delayed its public release until February — a timeline that raises its own questions about urgency Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The Greens' deputy leader, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, used the occasion to accuse the federal government of "cherrypicking one type of racism over others." She pointed to the government's backing of an antisemitism envoy and report card system following the Bondi attack, while yet to respond to findings on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. "The Albanese government has been gaslighting and dismissing anti-Palestinian racism for the last two years of Israel's genocide in Gaza," she said Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me.. It is a charge that resonates in some quarters, though critics of Faruqi's position note that the Greens' own approach to campus antisemitism has been selective at best.

Conservative voices in the education debate have long argued that universities' diversity and inclusion bureaucracies are better at generating compliance paperwork than addressing genuine grievances — a critique that this report, perhaps inadvertently, supports. The finding that elaborate complaints systems coexist with abysmal reporting rates and institutional indifference suggests that the problem is not a lack of policies but a lack of genuine institutional will to enforce them.

Universities Australia, the sector's peak body, called the findings "deeply troubling" and endorsed the report's call for a national working group to develop coordinated action and "consistent standards, stronger accountability and measurable progress across all institutions" Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me.. The National Union of Students' president, Felix Hughes, said students had been raising these concerns "for years." "Voluntary policies and internal reviews haven't delivered the change students need," he said, calling on the federal government to mandate consistent protections and reporting systems at every university Australia news live: racism ‘systemic’ at universities; Angus Taylor disowns leaked migration policytheguardian.com·SecondaryTaylor denies knowledge of immigration policy Angus Taylor says “no-one has told” him about the origins of a leaked immigration policy, devised by the Liberals under Sussan Ley’s leadership. Taylor said no immigration policy was taken to shadow cabinet under Ley. He said: I’m not sure what the source of that plan was, no-one has told me..

The report makes 47 recommendations spanning five areas: a national antiracism framework for universities, measures for inclusive and safe campuses, accountable complaints systems, inclusive curriculum and teaching, and diverse leadership. Whether these recommendations produce structural change or merely another layer of administrative overlay will depend on whether the government treats this as a genuine policy priority or a public relations exercise to be managed through the next news cycle.

What the Racism@Uni Study has produced is not just a catalogue of individual suffering — though it is certainly that — but evidence of a systemic failure that implicates the entire Australian higher education model. A sector that derives billions from international student fees while failing to provide those students with basic physical and psychological safety on campus faces a credibility problem that no amount of strategic planning documents can paper over. The question now is whether the political class will use this report as a catalyst for meaningful reform, or whether it will join the growing pile of landmark studies that changed the conversation for a week and the policy settings not at all.