Respect at Uni: Study into antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and the experience of First Nations people

Summary

• The Australian Human Rights Commission has released findings from the Racism@Uni Study.
• The Study was commissioned by the Australian Government in May 2024.
• This is the largest and most comprehensive examination of racism in Australian universities.
• Findings from Study highlight that racism is deeply embedded across Australian universities and has profound impacts on students and staff.
• The report titled Respect at Uni: Study into antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and the experience of First Nations people makes 47 recommendations to Government and universities.

Download the report

Respect at Uni: Study into antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and the experience of First Nations people

Race discrimination

Report

• PDF download 5.4 MB

Overview

More than 76,000 students and staff from 42 universities across the country participated in the Study. The Study findings reveal particularly high rates of racism experienced by students and staff from First Nations, African, Asian, Jewish, Māori, Middle Eastern, Muslim, Palestinian and Pasifika backgrounds. The findings also show high rates of racism experienced by international students.

Key findings include:

• 70% of survey respondents report experiencing indirect racism, including hearing or seeing racist behaviour directed at their community.
• 15% of respondents report experiencing direct interpersonal racism at university.
• Jewish (religious) and Palestinian respondents report experiences of racism at rates over 90%.
• First Nations, Chinese, Jewish (secular), Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian respondents all report racism at rates over 80%.
• 19% of respondents who did not report experiencing direct or indirect racism at university report witnessing racism.
• Only 6% of people who experience direct racism make a complaint to their university, with many citing fear of consequences.
• Trust in university complaints systems is extremely low, with 60–80% of staff and students who experience racism reporting dissatisfaction with the process.
• Racism occurs at similar rates at all Australian universities, confirming it is a systemic issue.

Recommendations

The report recommendations call for a coordinated, sector‑wide approach aligned with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti‑Racism Framework. The recommendations focus on five interconnected outcomes:

1. A national framework for anti‑racism in universities
2. Inclusive and safe universities, free from racism
3. Accountable universities with trusted, accessible complaints systems
4. Inclusive curriculum and teaching
5. Diverse leadership and workforce

Background

The Racism@Uni Study comprised focus groups, a literature review, a policy audit and a national online survey which gathered insights from staff and students with experience of racism.

Find out more about the Study.

The 4 reports below were produced by external suppliers, and each played an essential part in informing the Commission’s Racism@Uni Study findings. The reports provide additional detail to the Commission’s final report, reflecting the breadth of experiences shared by students and staff across Australian universities. The Racism@Uni raw survey data will also be made available on the Australian Data Archive once the supplier has completed the deidentification process.

Research consistently shows that traumatic experiences, including racism, are significantly underreported. The high level of engagement in this Study reflects how deeply racism affects people’s university experience, sense of safety and overall wellbeing. Despite the barriers that can prevent people from coming forward to talk about racism, including fear and the trauma of revisiting harmful incidents, tens of thousands of participants chose to share their experiences. Their willingness to participate underscores both the urgency needed to address racism and the trust placed in the process.

Universities are a significant part of the broader community. Consistent with the Study’s Terms of Reference, this Study focused on experiences of racism within university settings and did not undertake a deep or comprehensive examination of racism occurring outside the university context. The Commission encourages further research to build a fuller understanding of the prevalence and nature of racism across society. Our hope is that universities will use these findings as an opportunity to reflect and implement meaningful changes that support safer, more inclusive environments for students and staff.

To ensure confidentiality and anonymity of participants, information that was specific to individual universities or that could identify individuals has been redacted from these reports. The Commission remains committed to protecting the privacy of participants while ensuring the insights shared through this study can contribute to positive reform.