In a review of free speech on campus, commissioned by the government in response to growing concerns, French recommended a voluntary code to strengthen protections.
His code lays out principles to ensure that the free speech and academic freedom of staff and students are not unduly restricted, guaranteeing the right to engage in free-flowing inquiry, commentary, discussion and freedom of association.
Education Minister Dan Tehan has urged universities to consider Mr French’s code, but his Labor counterpart Tanya Plibersek has dismissed the issue. ‘As we see from this government in so many areas, culture wars are what you retreat to when you have no ideas and nothing to say’, she said.
Source: SMH
In September last year, social commentator Bettina Arndt was attacked at a speaking event at Sydney University after calling out a “concocted rape culture” at tertiary institutions.
Source: 4BC
Ms Arndt faced similar issues when she was invited to give a talk in Melbourne’s La Trobe University. La Trobe University initially denied its Liberal club to host the event, but then changed its mind on the condition that the club would foot the bill for any extra security. The university then changed its mind [again], saying it would pay for the extra security itself, 2GB reported. Ms Arndt is still waiting to hear back from the University of Sydney on who’s paying the extra security bill.
‘Today’s conservatives aren’t interested in shutting down free speech, they’re trying to promote it’.
‘And the left, amazingly, is all in favour of silencing people expressing views they don’t like’.
Source: News.com.au
Bettina Arndt explains how Tanya Plibersek wants to defund Universities that don’t promote the fake ‘rape crisis’:
Comment: So on the one hand, Plibersek is ENCOURAGING radical leftist feminists who want to suppress free speech and on the other hand, she refuses to recognise threats to free speech, even when the integrity of our education system is threatened by a foreign government.
In 2016, Plibersek told the National Press Club, “There have been a number of arrests recently that seem to indicate a tightening of freedom of expression in Hong Kong and I wouldn’t like to see that trend continue”.
But when Human Rights Watch recommends a set of principles for the Free speech of Chinese students in Australia [above article], she “dismisses” as part of the Liberal’s “culture wars”.
Is the Free speech of Chinese students in Australia now suddenly less important because free speech is linked to attacks on the Liberal club?
Hypocrite.
[1] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sam-dastyari-warned-tanya-plibersek-to-abandon-meeting-with-hong-kong-activist-sources-say-20171210-h01z5o.html