Anti-racism statement

Monash University recognises the Traditional Owners of the unceded lands on which its Australian campuses and other Australian delivery locations are located and pays respects to their Elders, past and present.

Anti-racism involves actively working to break down and combat racist policies, practices, culture and ideas. Anti-racism is about more than being ‘not racist’; it involves deliberate action to challenge prejudice and race-based discrimination experienced by individuals as well as racism institutionally within organisations, communities and society. To be anti-racist is to be equipped with the skills to make our community and society a safer, more respectful, and equitable place.

Our commitment to eliminating discrimination towards Indigenous Australians

Monash strives for a community that fosters meaningful understanding and engagement with Indigenous Peoples, cultures and knowledge worldwide and actively supports Indigenous Australian student and staff success. The University acknowledges the ongoing, adverse effects of colonisation and the devastating impacts of this on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities and Country. The University is actively assisting to dismantle the systems of power and oppression that cause racism and discrimination towards Indigenous Australians.

Our commitment to eliminating discrimination at Monash

Monash University actively embraces and celebrates its diverse cultural, religious and linguistic community, and understands that this diversity enriches all teaching, research and engagement activities. Our commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community for all is a foundational principle for the development of a rich culture at Monash University, where all members of the community are treated with fairness and respect - as embodied in Impact 2030.

Monash is striving to ensure our communities are free from racism, which we understand broadly to encompass all forms of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, culture and religion. Monash rejects all forms of racism including racial discrimination, harassment and vilification. The University is focused on eliminating racism and discrimination that is directed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as that directed against other peoples of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures and religions.

The University recognises that racism manifests in many different ways across our communities and broader society. This includes direct and indirect racial discrimination, racial vilification, and racial harassment including but not limited to: antisemitism¹, islamophobia² and xenophobia³.

Monash understands that racism occurs due to an imbalance of power and privilege and that racism can be compounded by other forms of oppression and discrimination. We ground our prevention initiatives in this understanding.

If you have experienced racism

The University encourages staff, students and others engaged with the Monash community to disclose or report incidents of racial discrimination, harassment or vilification to the University in order for appropriate action to be taken, to ensure our study and work environments are places of safety and respect.

Disclose or report an incident

¹ _{We have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism: noting the clarifications recommended by the UK Home Affairs Select Committee that place a caveat around the IHRA examples. Additionally we use the working definition developed by the Group of Eight universities, subsequently endorsed by Universities Australia members. Both definitions are used as a guide to understanding antisemitism.}

_{The use of these definitions as a guide to understanding antisemitism aligns with our commitment to Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.}

_{The following extracts are taken from the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism and are offered as a resource for staff and students who may be seeking clarity on how these definitions can be understood.}

_{"Criticism of the policies and practices of the Israeli government or state is not in and of itself antisemitic. However, criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is 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 or communities responsible for Israel's actions. It can be antisemitic to make assumptions about what Jewish individuals think based only on the fact that they are Jewish".}

_{"All peoples, including Jews, have the right to self-determination. For most, but not all Jewish Australians, Zionism is a core part of their Jewish identity. Substituting the word 'Zionist' for 'Jew' does not eliminate the possibility of speech being antisemitic".}

² _{The fear of and hostility toward Muslims and Islam that is driven by racism and that leads to exclusionary, discriminatory, and violent actions targeting Muslims and those perceived as Muslim. As adopted from Todd Green’s definition of Islamophobia, Oxford Bibliographies.}

³ _{A fear, prejudice or hatred of people based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners within the community which can include behaviours that seek to harass, vilify and discriminate.}