The Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has welcomed the decision by Chris Thompson, Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Victorian Department of Education to provide the families who will participate in the forthcoming independent investigation into the antisemitic incidents at Brighton Secondary College with a hard copy of the report for them to retain.
This followed objections raised by the Anti-Defamation Commission and the mother of the two boys to the original Terms of Reference of the investigation that have now been amended to make this clear.
The initial terms of Reference stated that “It is intended that the final report will be provided to the families.”
The investigation will be conducted by the firm Worklogic, with the final report to be submitted to the Minister of Education at the end of this month.
The 2019 report into the incidents at Cheltenham Secondary College and Hawthorn West Primary was never furnished to the families of the two boys affected.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, speaking on behalf of the family, said:
“We are pleased that the Department of Education has listened to our concerns and has provided this important assurance which adds a layer of accountability to the process.
We hope that this investigation will be a real step towards securing justice for the victims.
We also hope that this inquiry will uncover the truth and deliver strategies that will not only address the underlying causes of this institutional problem at BSC but implement all the recommendations.
We need more action and less rhetoric from the Department of Education.
This is the only way to start stamping out the antisemitism plaguing Victorian schools.”