being pushed out of academia. These negative actions can be subtle and hard to prove as discrimination. The Commission heard that career progression, especially moving into senior leadership roles, continues to be compromised by systems that don’t recognise the contributions of First Nations academics and are not culturally safe. The initial First Nations Academic roundtable shared that the work First Nations academics do often ‘doesn’t fit the metrics for progression.’ Participants felt that there was a lack of support for First Nations People in senior leadership roles: They romanticise our knowledge, but they would never put us in those real leadership positions because to do that, they have to acknowledge something about themselves that they are not ready to do. 72 Participants felt that progression for First Nations People into mainstream leadership positions was more challenging due to systemic bias. While the Roundtable noted pockets of support for First Nations senior leadership, broader systemic change is required to extend this across the sector. One participant noted: If the systems are still perpetuating colonial violence and racism, when we talk about Indigenous representation, I think it needs to sit within an ecosystem of governance and leadership that is culturally safe. 73 3.5 Lack of safety and support on campus Campus protests due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East have raised tensions in some locations, sparking antisemitic, Islamophobic, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian experiences for some students. The Inquiry noted that ‘proPalestinian encampments varied from university to university…some were respectful protests while others felt they created an environment which was unwelcoming to those with opposing views.’ 74 Jewish students who have spoken with the Commission describe feeling unsafe on campus. For instance, one Jewish student reported feeling so unsafe in their accommodation that they resorted to sleeping in their car. This aligns with many of the submissions to the Inquiry: …the actions of the encampment go further than belittling and degrading all Jews on campus. The immediate effect of these and other actions of the encampment have resulted in a palpable level of anxiety and, at times, fear among my Jewish peers on campus…Just simply talking with my friends and community, it is clear that many of us are frightened and 46