Australia – Melbourne principal resigns after Federal Court finds Jewish students were subject to bullying

Brighton Secondary College principal Richard Minack

A Melbourne school principal has resigned, a month after the Federal Court found Jewish students suffered discrimination and bullying under his watch, leading to a $435,000 compensation payout.

Parents from Brighton Secondary College were on Monday sent emails from Victoria’s Department of Education, confirming Richard Minack had “relinquished his position as principal”.

The school’s acting principal Leisa Higgins will continue to lead the school, with the role to be advertised next year, the email said.

The Federal Court heard Jewish students endured antisemitic bullying under Mr Minack’s leadership at the school, located in one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs.

Mr Minack’s conduct was singled out by Justice Debbie Mortimer in her September 14 ruling, saying he failed to punish students who drew Nazi symbols or properly deter antisemitic behaviour between 2015 and 2020.

She found Mr Minack and the State of Victoria breached the Racial Discrimination Act, after five former students launched legal action and took the case to trial.

“Each applicant left BSC prematurely, and the court has accepted that four out of five of them left because of the antisemitism from other students they experienced at BSC and how unsafe and unprotected by Mr Minack and the BSC staff they felt,” Justice Mortimer said in her judgement.

The students alleged Mr Minack breached the Racial Discrimination Act during a speech to a school assembly, which included remarks that “offended, insulted, humiliated and intimidated Jewish students”.

Plaintiff Matt Kaplan told the court antisemitic jokes, Heil Hitler gestures and Nazi symbols increased after Mr Minack made a speech, where he talked about his father fighting for Germany during the World War II.

In total, $435,000 of compensation payouts were ordered by the judge, and she also ordered the state to make an apology to the students.

Dvir Abramovich, the chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission advocacy group, said the principal’s departure was “welcome news”.

“The heartbreaking episodes in BSC were simply the tip of the iceberg,” Dr Abramovich said.

“There is something very troubling taking place in Victorian schools and we are reaching a point of no return where being Jewish will be a liability and will make one more vulnerable to victimisation and intimidation.”

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