ANU asked for Gaza death certificates for exam extension, commission hears

The Australian National University's (ANU) interim vice-chancellor has apologised for the institution's failure to protect the psychological safety of Jewish staff and students during pro-Palestinian encampments.

Under cross-examination by the counsel for the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Gabi Crafti SC, Rebekah Brown was asked at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion if she would like to say anything on behalf of the university.

"I would say that all Jewish students and staff and their colleagues and friends … have an absolute right to feel safe, respected and heard on our campus," Professor Brown said.

"And I'm sorry that they didn't and I've committed in my role as long as I am the interim vice-chancellor to do better."

Professor Brown assumed the interim vice-chancellorship late last year, but was provost — the university's most senior academic — at the time of the encampments, which ran between April and August 2024.

This week the commission heard that the encampments at Australian universities caused distress to Jewish students and staff because of anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist chants.

This included evidence from student Liat, who on Monday told the commission was called a "baby killer" and "genocide supporter".

Ms Crafti referred to a risk assessment the university commissioned in July 2024, towards the end of the encampment period, that found a "high risk of psychosocial harm" associated with it.

Professor Brown said the university had introduced new policies to mitigate psychosocial risk and antisemitism.

"Not everyone has been subject to our training as yet … there is still more work to be done, but it has started," she said.

Later, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network lawyer Yasser Bakri asked Professor Brown if she agreed Jewish staff and students objected to the existence of the encampments.

"They did not want to see the encampment?" he asked.

"That's correct," Professor Brown said.

Mr Bakri asked if the encampment ended peacefully, to which she replied "yes".

Inquiry told of Gaza death certificate request

Earlier on Thursday the inquiry heard a university student whose relatives had been killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza was asked to provide their death certificates to get an exam extension.

During cross-examination ANU's acting provost Joan Leach said she was unaware of the case.

Mr Bakri said the student had asked for more time for their assessment because of their grief, but their supervisor had told them to obtain proof of the deaths.

Looking perplexed, Professor Leach told the commission she knew nothing about the matter but agreed the staffer's response was inappropriate and lacked empathy.

Professor Leach was also questioned about evidence heard by the commission on Monday from Liat, who claimed offensive  gestures had been made during a 2024 student association annual general meeting on Zoom that was attended by hundreds of students.

Liat told the commission that a student made a "Nazi moustache" gesture and that someone else made a Nazi salute while she called for greater controls on the tent protests.

In the moustache case, Professor Leach said the student in question had actually been covering a scar from a cleft palate they were uncomfortable with, and so their gesture was one they habitually made "in multiple contexts".

There was no finding of misconduct against the student and the commission heard the university's investigation caused the student angst.

In the salute case, Professor Leach said it was "virtually impossible to tell if it was a Nazi salute" and other students consulted didn't think it was a salute.

"There was good reason to believe that doing such a salute would be pretty antithetical to that particular student's identity and so there was no finding of misconduct in that case," she said.

Long-running ANU encampment examined

Encampments in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza ran at the ANU for more than 100 days between April and August 2024 — the longest running encampment at any Australian university.

Liat told the commission of the trauma and strain the encampment caused her and fellow Jewish people on campus because of protesters' chants, posters and because some people called her a "baby killer" and "genocide supporter".

Professor Leach agreed these labels were antisemitic.

"Students should be able to walk through campus without what I would refer to as harassment," she said.

"It was asking her as a member of the Jewish community to take responsibility for something very many miles away and shouted at her."

The commission heard that since 2024 the ANU has reviewed its code of conduct.

Professor Leach said as a compulsory training module for staff called Rights and Respect at Work which includes various definitions of antisemitism in a "strong anti-racism frame".

"Students in the residences now have mandatory training … including 'bystander training' … which includes micro aggressions," she said.