Arabic version: لجنة ملكية تبحث التعليم لمكافحة معاداة السامية

According to ABC News, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will examine how education and workplace training could combat hate. The inquiry returned to Sydney on Monday after two weeks of hearings in Melbourne and is now entering its sixth hearing block.

The commission will consider education and policy frameworks for government decision-making, workplaces, healthcare, schools, and the arts and creative sector. Jewish House CEO Rabbi Mendel Kastel, Melbourne Holocaust Museum CEO Breann Fallon and Department of Home Affairs Head of Immigration Clare Sharp are among witnesses listed to give evidence on Tuesday.

Counsel assisting Zelie Heger SC said the commission had received a submission from education veteran David Gonski concerning the Antisemitism Education Taskforce, created after the Bondi Beach terror attack. Its interim report announced a proposed social cohesion hub for schools and teachers to combat antisemitism, with maintenance expected to cost $6 million over five years. Mr Gonski is expected to discuss the taskforce’s work at the inquiry.

The commission has also heard evidence about antisemitism in schools and workplaces. University student Maya Hockey said Holocaust education, targeted programs, museum visits, clearer reporting policies and greater awareness of contemporary antisemitism could help schools better prevent and address antisemitic behaviour.

A seventh hearing block in Sydney will examine protests and policing, including the October 9, 2023 march from Sydney Town Hall to the Opera House, during which antisemitic chants were made, and a neo-Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament House last year. Commissioner Virginia Bell said the focus would be on opportunities to improve police responses to antisemitic conduct in protest settings, while recognising peaceful protest as a fundamental attribute of democratic life.