Australia's antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal initiated an open tender process to assess how universities are handling antisemitism, but five firms—three independent consulting firms and two law firms—declined to bid. Documents released under freedom of information laws reveal that conflicts of interest, due to the firms' ties to the university sector, prevented them from participating, highlighting potential flaws in the procurement process for this sensitive government initiative.
Following the failed tender, Segal's office developed a shortlist of five individual candidates, with constitutional lawyer and former vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Greg Craven, at the top. Internal documents indicate he was approached first, with others on the list only to be contacted if he refused. Segal announced his appointment last November, raising questions about the transparency and competitiveness of the selection process for this key role in the government's antisemitism strategy.
Segal devised the report card system as part of a broader plan to combat antisemitism, which includes withholding government funding from universities deemed to "facilitate, enable or fail to act against antisemitism." An assistant secretary at the Department of Home Affairs emailed Segal's chief of staff requesting a "strong and well-documented business case" to justify the appointment, to which the response confirmed the tender received "no official bids" and the process was "re-thought," suggesting ad hoc decision-making in a critical policy area.
Craven was selected as the first choice due to his standing as a former university administrator and respected jurist. Three weeks later, he was offered a Commonwealth contract worth $232,466, lasting until 30 June 2027. Previously, Craven has written columns for News Corp's The Australian, describing universities as "elitist," "self-interested," and "greedy," and after the Bondi shooting, he claimed universities had been a "major factor in making antisemitism respectful," referring to campus protesters as "mutant radical groups." These statements have led to concerns about his impartiality in assessing the very institutions he has criticized.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), represented by Dr. Alison Barnes, argues that Craven has "spent years using his platform to attack the very institutions and people he is now supposed to be assessing impartially." The report card system will grade universities on their handling of protests, encampments, and flag displays, with the first reports expected in May. Segal and Craven declined to comment, leaving unanswered questions about the efficacy and fairness of this government-led effort to address antisemitism on campuses.
Source: www.theguardian.com