The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in Melbourne heard on Thursday, July 16th, 2026, that a university student whose relatives were killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza was asked by a supervisor to provide death certificates to get an exam extension. Counsel for the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Yasser Bakri, stated the student requested more time due to grief but was told to obtain proof of the deaths.

Australian National University's acting provost Joan Leach, cross-examined at the commission, said she was unaware of the case but agreed the staff member's response was inappropriate and lacked empathy.

The commission also heard from Liat, who described trauma caused by a pro-Palestine encampment on campus, which lasted 110 days before disbanding. Liat reported incidents during a 2024 student association meeting where a student made a "Nazi moustache" gesture and another a Nazi salute. Professor Leach explained the moustache gesture was a habitual action by a student covering a cleft palate scar, and it was "virtually impossible to tell if it was a Nazi salute," with consulted students not considering it a salute. Leach agreed that labels such as "baby killer" and "genocide supporter" directed at Jewish students were antisemitic.

Since 2024, ANU has reviewed its code of conduct and implemented compulsory staff training called Rights and Respect at Work, which includes definitions of antisemitism.

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