I’ve just read out what your employee has said. How can Australians have confidence in the Australian Human Rights Commission when an employee such as Ms Saleh makes comments like that, which obviously bring into question the integrity of the Human Rights Commission?
Senator HENDERSON: I’ll keep it very short—hopefully seven minutes. President, I want to draw your attention to a tweet post by your employee Ms Saleh on 29 April 2024. She is responding—I’ll get this circulated, but I’ve only got the one copy; I’m sorry—to a story in the Australian, ‘”Intifada” child protest has crossed dangerous red line’. She says:
So much wrong with this I don’t even know where to start.
Arguing that zionists as a grp have a right to cultural safety is akin to giving Nazis & misogynists warm welcomes.
I mean, for goodness sake, President! This is disgraceful, from one of your employees. Can I ask you to please tell all Australians whether this is appropriate behaviour.
Prof. Croucher : I’ve answered your question before. Any issue of staff behaviour is taken extremely seriously—
Senator HENDERSON: Well, what are you doing about this, President?
Prof. Croucher : including social media that may call into question the role and impartiality of the Human Rights Commission. Such matters are considered seriously, and we have established procedures for considering them. Beyond that I won’t comment.
Senator HENDERSON: You are required to answer all questions here at estimates in connection with the expenditure and the operations of the Human Rights Commission, so I ask: what action are you taking in relation to public comments like this by one of your employees?
CHAIR: Senator Henderson, we’re not going to be using props.
Senator HENDERSON: I know. I’m handing it up to be tabled. It’s not a prop; I’m just holding it.
CHAIR: Senator Henderson, this is not my first estimates hearing. It’s not the first time I’ve seen estimate hearings put on social media.
Senator HENDERSON: I wasn’t using it as a prop.
CHAIR: Senator Henderson, there is no need for you to hold up a piece of paper like that. It is disorderly, and I’ve already had to suspend our hearing twice today to call you to order. We won’t be doing that again. What is your question?
Senator HENDERSON: I’ve just read out what your employee has said. How can Australians have confidence in the Australian Human Rights Commission when an employee such as Ms Saleh makes comments like that, which obviously bring into question the integrity of the Human Rights Commission?
Prof. Croucher : That is precisely the kind of question that would be the subject of any code of conduct issue with respect to any staff member. Beyond that, I refer to my previous answers.
Senator HENDERSON: My concern is about the pattern of conduct at the Human Rights Commission, where antisemitism has been overlooked. We’ve got the issue with Hue Consulting. We’ve got the issue with Ms Saleh. We’ve got the engagement of Mr Hussain, which I raised earlier. There’s the initial overlooking of antisemitism in your media release relating to the study of racism on university campuses. How can Jewish Australians have confidence in your study on racism on university campuses as an adequate response to the rampant antisemitism they are experiencing, when we’re seeing this pattern of behaviour, President?
Prof. Croucher : The work of Commissioner Sivaraman is entirely balanced in approach. He has referred multiple times to the engagement with communities. The Jewish community is a significant community that is one of our major stakeholder groups, and it has continued to be a major stakeholder group. We hear concerns directly from members of the community, both to us as commissioners and through our various channels, whether it’s through complaints under the Racial Discrimination Act or otherwise, and there is a commitment to all of our stakeholders. Our Jewish stakeholders are a key group who bring into our consideration the trauma that many of our Jewish Australians have carried through generations. That is real, and it is not absent from our consideration at all. The impact and the trauma that other communities carry, whether it’s our First Nations communities, our Palestinian communities—we acknowledge the trauma that communities carry. With respect to the matters that you have raised, I refer you again to the strict requirements under our code of conduct for our staff members, and any issues that raise concerns will be considered very strictly within the code of conduct because we do regard such issues very seriously indeed.