- by MB
- The Guardian
- Issue #2199
A peaceful protest at Melbourne University. Photo: John Englart – flickr.com (CC BY-SA 2.0)
More than 40 civil society groups are calling on Australian universities to protect the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and academic freedom on campus, declaring this moment a crisis for the protection of political expression within Australian universities.
The statement, signed by the Human Rights Law Centre, the Australian Democracy Network, the National Tertiary Education Union, Amnesty International Australia, and others, expresses grave concern at the increasing restriction on protest and political speech on campuses across the country.
Over the past three years, universities across Australia have cracked down to stifle peaceful assembly and expression using a range of restrictions including:
- Banning certain forms of protest on campus under vague guidelines;
- Imposing onerous notification requirements;
- Surveillance of students, staff and community members who attend protests; and
- Numerous threats of disciplinary action against students and staff who attend protests.
These measures have had a chilling effect on dissent. They undermine the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and erode academic freedom. Universities are cornerstones of our democracy, where people should be able to express ideas, gather peacefully and have difficult conversations.
The statement calls for universities to adopt 10 principles to protect protest and political expression including; permitting peaceful protest; ensuring anti-racism measures are non-discriminatory and consistent with human rights; no undue surveillance or disciplinary action for participating in legitimate protest; and that staff and students are consulted when developing rules governing protests.
Dr Alison Barnes, National President of the National Tertiary Education Union says: “Universities should be places where staff and students can speak freely and organise without fear of surveillance, discrimination or other adverse consequences.
“NTEU members’ work involves engaging critically with the world around them. When that’s restricted, it undermines academic freedom – a cornerstone of healthy universities.”
