On the 18 July 2026, the Prime Minister, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, announced the establishment of a 12-month Islamophobia Education Taskforce.
The Taskforce forms part of the Australian Government’s response to the Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Islamophobia. It will consider actions to help the Australian education system prevent, tackle and properly respond to Islamophobia.
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Taskforce Purpose
The purpose of the Taskforce is to help the Australian education system prevent, tackle, and properly respond to Islamophobia, and to contribute to existing efforts to strengthen social cohesion through education.
The Taskforce will consider action across all levels of Australia’s education system – from early childhood education and care, to schools, and across the tertiary sector.
In undertaking its work, the Taskforce will oversee rapid implementation of education-related measures identified in the Australian Government’s response to the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia’s report, and identify further measures to combat Islamophobia in education settings.
The Taskforce will, as appropriate, consult with the Australian Muslim community, young people, students and their parents and carers, the education system workforce and other stakeholders.
Taskforce Membership
- Jasmina Joldić PSM (Interim Chair)
- Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia
- Australian Government Department of Education
- State and territory departments of education
- Independent Schools Australia
- Islamic Schools Association of Australia
- National Catholic Education Commission
- Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
- Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
- Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
- Education Services Australia (ESA)
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
- Universities Australia
- Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC)
- Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
The Taskforce will be supported by a secretariat from the Australian Government Department of Education, which can be contacted via IslamophobiaEducationTaskforce@education.gov.au.
Taskforce Meetings
Meeting 1 – 31 August 2026
The first meeting of the Islamophobia Education Taskforce (the Taskforce) was held virtually on 31 August 2026, following its establishment as a part of the Australian Government Response to the Special Envoy’s National Response to Islamophobia. The Australian Government Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, interim Chair, Ms Jasmina Joldić PSM, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Mr Aftab Malik, and other Taskforce members affirmed that there is no place for Islamophobia in Australian society and in education systems across the country.
Minister Clare attended the inaugural meeting as a guest reiterating the power of education in fostering social cohesion, and thanked members for their commitment to this distinctive work to address Islamophobia.
The Taskforce noted the crucial role of education and training systems in nurturing critical thinking, providing students with opportunities to test and develop ideas and in shaping Australian values.
The Taskforce endorsed its Terms of Reference and noted its overarching purpose to help the Australian education system prevent, tackle and properly respond to Islamophobia, while also contributing to broader efforts to strengthen social cohesion and address racism and discrimination that may manifest across education settings.
In undertaking its work, the Taskforce will drive the implementation of the education measures agreed to as part of the Australian Government Response to the Special Envoy’s National Response to Islamophobia and provide advice on any further measures to address Islamophobia. Members agreed to the Taskforce providing a mid-point update within 6 months, and a concluding update at the end of its 12-month term.
The Taskforce agreed:
- It was important to engage Education Ministers’ at key points and provide regular progress updates.
- To leverage opportunities to align and coordinate pieces of work to ensure a joined-up approach across education sectors.
- To ask ACARA to develop a proposed scope and draft Terms of Reference for the focused review of the Australian Curriculum to identify opportunities to strengthen racial and religious tolerance.
- That the scope for a Social Cohesion Framework for schools will be drafted for consideration at the Taskforce’s next meeting.
- To provide advice for the development of a national, consistent framework for anti-racism in universities, noting the work to implement the Australian Government’s amended Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 requiring higher education providers to maintain a safe and inclusive institutional environment that prevents and responds to racism.
- To add existing Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism resources to the Social Cohesion Education Hub.
The Taskforce also noted significant progress on measures to date including the Australian Government’s recent announcement on amendments to TEQSA Act to strengthen its powers, launch of the Social Cohesion Education Hub and implementation of programs supporting interfaith dialogue in schools.
The Taskforce will next meet on 29 September 2026.
Meeting 2 – 29 September 2026
The second meeting of the Islamophobia Education Taskforce (the Taskforce) was held on 29 September 2026, in Sydney and virtually. The interim Chair, Ms Jasmina Joldić PSM, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Mr Aftab Malik, and members reaffirmed the Taskforce’s commitment to tackling Islamophobia in Australia’s education system, noting the Taskforce provides an unprecedented opportunity to drive lasting systemic change. Members acknowledged that significant work has already been progressed since its first meeting.
The Islamic Schools Association of Australia (ISAA) provided insights on perspectives of Islamophobia and lived experiences of Muslim students in Australia's education system, including the importance of a student-centred approach. ISAA emphasised that, ultimately, success is not the number of frameworks or resources produced, rather should be measured as improved everyday experiences of Muslim students through equal dignity, safety and educational opportunity.
The Taskforce endorsed the proposed scope of the Social Cohesion Framework for Schools (the Framework), which aims to provide practical, evidence-based and practice-informed guidance for schools to promote safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments. Members noted that the Framework will complement other national and jurisdiction policies and frameworks such as the National Anti-Bullying Framework and National Respectful Relationships Education Framework.
Members discussed work underway to strengthen anti-racism reforms in the higher education sector including Universities Australia’s response to the Respect at Uni Report, and the work to develop an approach to adopting a definition of Islamophobia in education settings. The Taskforce noted the recent release of:
- the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s Consultation Paper: for the Statement of Regulatory Expectations: on adopting a definition of Islamophobia; and
- the Special Envoy’s The Challenges of Defining Islamophobia: Contextual Guidance for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
Once finalised, TEQSA’s Statement of Regulatory Expectations and the Special Envoy’s guidance will support higher education providers prepare to adopt a definition of Islamophobia for when the amended Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 comes into force on 1 January 2027.
The Taskforce also agreed:
- to rename the proposed framework for anti-racism in universities to the Higher Education Social Cohesion Framework, to align with the approach to the social cohesion framework for schools and to ensure a focus on the transition between education systems.
- To the draft Terms of Reference for the Focused Review of the Australian Curriculum: Racial and Religious Tolerance, which will now progress to Education Ministers for consideration and agreement at their next meeting in early November 2026.
- To the addition of anti-Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism resources to the Social Cohesion Education Hub, and the establishment of a Project Advisory Group, consisting of individuals with subject matter expertise and lived experience, to review and provide advice on the proposed resources.
- to an approach to stakeholder engagement through facilitated roundtables, prioritising meaningful engagement with Muslim communities and ensuring that lived experiences of Islamophobia (including gendered-Islamophobia), anti-Palestinian racism, and anti-Arab racism in education directly inform the Taskforce’s work and the focus of subsequent roundtables. The Taskforce also discussed the benefits of broader ongoing community engagement to provide transparency on the work and direction of the Taskforce.
The Taskforce’s next meeting will be held in late October 2026.