Tensions between the government and the university sector ran high in 2018, with the government cutting funding to student places and research and a big push back from universities.
We need to have a more nuanced discussion about threats to academic freedom – not just a heavily polarised debate based on a poorly constructed audit.
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The Institute for Public Affairs' audit of academic freedom pits people either for or against universities. This prevents us from having thorough conversations about real threats to academic freedom.
Freedom of speech on Australian university campuses has been heavily debated this year.
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Glyn Davis, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Glyn Davis lays out the evidence (or lack thereof) for the argument that free speech on campuses is at risk.
High-profile conservatives such as former PM Tony Abbott and commentator Alan Jones often complain that freedom of speech is being stifled, but the research does not support that view.
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While some complaint that anti-discrimination laws stifle freedom of speech, there is good evidence that they make a more harmonious, safe and equal society.
The free trade agreement with Indonesia, which Australia originally.
hoped would be signed this week when Morrison was in Singapore for the start of the summit season, has become hostage to the embassy
decision.
Mick Tskias/AAP
The fundamental point is that those were desperate days for the Coalition and so are these. "McMahon was in survival mode," says author Patrick Mullins. The same could be said of Morrison.
A new book asks how we navigate the line between freedom of information and national security.
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A new book examines the relationship between national security and access to information in Australia, New Zealand, US, UK and Canada, comparing it with other countries around the world.
Sydney University recently hosted sex therapist Bettina Arndt, an event which drew a large number of protesters.
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A challenge in the High Court, starting today, will argue that "safe access zones" around abortion clinics impede the constitutional right to freedom of political speech. Here's why that's wrong.
Is controversy extremist? The Charity Commission seems to think so.
The brouhaha over a nine-year-old girl refusing to stand for the national anthem appears to confirm that tolerance is on the wane and nationalist sentiment on the rise in Australia.
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The storm over a nine-year-old refusing to stand for the national anthem is an indication of how ugly, and misguided, some aspects of national debate have become.
Ironically, Paterson claims to be arguing in favour of “free speech”, when his views would undermine intellectual freedom.
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Most universities do, in fact, mention academic freedom in several policy documents, such as enterprise bargaining agreements and other codes of conduct.
‘Free speech zones’ and other efforts to limit free speech on campus are igniting controversies across the nation.
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ABC's cancellation of the hit reboot Roseanne because of its star's racist tweet raises complex questions about freedom of speech and the line between public and private selves in the age of social media.
Academic freedom therefore encompasses the freedom to research the topics we choose, to draw the conclusions we find compelling from the evidence and analysis we undertake, and to speak publicly on those matters.
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Academic freedom is routinely recognised as an important principle that is enshrined in a range of governance policies - but staff at one university say it is under threat.
When students walked out of school to protest what they see as lax gun laws, some risked punishment from their schools. But it may be worth it to send a message, a First Amendment scholar argues.
Multichoice's dominant power over South Africa's public sphere suggests that dropping ANN7 may send a bad signal for media freedom and democratic debate.
Protesters outside the Supreme Court await a court decision in June 2016.
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Under a California law, faith-based crisis pregnancy centers must post signs with information about family planning services. The centers say it violates their First Amendment rights.