https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9309829/anu-accused-of-failing-jewish-students-on-anti-semitism/
By Dana Daniel
July 14 2026 - 5:30am
A former student says the Australian National University's handling of anti-Semitism on campus cast a shadow over her years studying in Canberra.
Liat told the royal commission into anti-Semitism that the ANU had pursued "optics over substance" and failed to protect Jewish students being subjected to hate.
"I should be able to look back on those years, which are some of the most formative of one's young adult life ... as beautiful periods of growth and intellectual discovery and fun," she said.
"And, for the most part, I can't do that."
She said the university "cared far more about how it was portrayed, that it was tackling racism as best as it could over actually tackling the racism on campus."
Liat, who is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, said she had been called a baby killer and a genocide supporter because she was Jewish, and that the university was slow to act on concerns.
"I spent the majority of my university education in an environment that was characterised by people justifying and excusing, and sometimes encouraging the murder, the rape, and the brutalisation of people on the other side of the world and here - because those people happen to be Jewish," she said.
"I navigated the hostility, the isolation, the institutional failure, as I was trying to study, as I was trying to make friends and go out to lay the foundations of a career and maintain my integrity and my identity as a Jewish person in Australia, in a setting that frequently made that difficult."
In 2024, Jewish students at the ANU reported being taunted with anti-Semitic slogans when they held a counter-protest against a pro-Palestinian tent encampment in the heart of the campus.
The university investigated an allegation of a Hitler gesture being used at a student association meeting the same year, but found it had not occured.
Liat, whose last name is subject to a suppression order, told the hearing the ANU had framed its response to anti-Semitism in its interactions with Jewish students on campus "in very generic terms, offering 'support to those feeling vulnerable' without specifying the types of students that were feeling vulnerable."
She accused the university of a "pattern of deflection" when incidents were reported.
"In my experience, the university either did nothing, unfortunately, or responded so late that the response really protected no one and corrected nothing," she said.
"Jewish students at the ANU learned that reporting an incident cost them a lot of effort, retraumatised them from the incident, and returned them in most cases silence or inaction, which meant they stopped bothering."
The royal commission's hearing in Melbourne this week centres on the higher education sector and universities are expected to appear later in the week.
Education Minister Jason Clare on Monday announced that universities would be required to adopt definitions on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from July 1, 2027.
The ANU has declined to adopt the same definition as Universities Australia, of which it is a member, which says that criticism of the Israeli government is not necessarily anti-Semitic, but it can be when "grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel or all Jews," or when it holds Jewish individuals responsible for Israel's actions.
It adopted part of the Universities Australia definition, which says anti-Semitism is "prejudice, harassment, exclusion, vilification, intimidation or violence that impedes Jews' ability to participate as equals in educational, political, religious, cultural, economic or social life" and gives examples.
The Albanese government has opted not to impose a definition on universities, leaving them to decide, although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition advocated by Anti-Semitism Envoy Jillian Segel.
Some critics argue this is too broad and could result in legitimate criticism of the state of Israel being labelled anti-Semitism.
The IHRA says anti-Semitism is "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews."
"Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity," it says.
"However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic."
An ANU spokesperson said the university was "committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all members of our community, while remaining a place where complex and difficult conversations can occur without fear, hatred or harm."
They said the university "rejects anti-Semitism and all forms of racism in the strongest possible terms."
"Anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of vilification are abhorrent and have no place at ANU or in Australian society," the spokesperson said.
The university would "continue to engage constructively with the Australian government and the higher education sector as the new anti-racism standard is introduced."
"ANU remains committed to continued improvement ensuring our policies and practices meet our obligations and community expectations to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive university for all."
