Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has announced an inquiry into the state of free speech on university campuses across Australia.
Dubbed the “Palestine Inquiry,” by its conveners, the “People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine” will primarily address the “suppression” of pro-Palestine activism from October 2023 to present.
The inquiry was established in response to mounting concerns that freedom of expression and the right to assemble on university grounds have been heavily circumscribed.
Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have condemned the use of surveillance technology at the University of Melbourne to identify student activists, and the Campus Access Policy introduced at the University of Sydney which requires protesters to give 72 hours notice for any action and seek permission for activities such as hanging a banner, putting up a poster, and using a megaphone.
Other activities such as leafleting (for instance at Swinburne University and Sydney University) and fundraising have been obstructed. When students put on a bake sale to raise funds to evacuate a family from Gaza, their initiative was shut down by campus security.
Some universities have banned certain words or phrases associated with the conflict. For instance, at the Australian National University, students have been warned that they will be penalised for saying “from the river to the sea.” At the University of Technology Sydney, leaflets students had been distributing were banned due to the use of the word ‘genocide’.
Sydney University management told students that Arabic text on posters they had put up “could be interpreted to constitute violent and hateful rhetoric.”A Palestine solidarity club at the University of New South Wales was banned altogether.
Students have observed increased police presence on Australian University campuses; in October last year, two pro-Palestine student demonstrators were arrested at Western Sydney University.
Universities have also introduced a spate of draconian protest policies amid growing national concerns over social cohesion; this has resulted in many staff and students across the country facing ongoing disciplinary proceedings for protesting.
The Palestine Inquiry has been endorsed by the Australia Palestine Activist Network (APAN) and Students for Palestine (S4P), one of the major activist groups behind the protest encampment movement that occurred nationwide last year.
Honi spoke to Students for Palestine co-convener Yasmine Johnson, who said she intends to make a submission to the inquiry: “the CAP is so obviously an attempt to silence pro-Palestine activists and not a sufficient attempt to address instances of antisemitism on campus.”
“They have contravened basic principles of free speech on multiple occasions, they’ve disciplined numerous students for organising pro-Palestine activism that was welcoming to Jewish students including myself.”
An APAN representative has stated: “advocating for an end to Israel’s… oppression of Palestinians is not hate speech—it is a fight for justice and liberation.
“APAN stands with all those resisting repression and urges anyone who has faced discrimination or witnessed injustices against people speaking out for Palestine to make their voices heard in this inquiry.”
Another body backing the Palestine Inquiry is the fledgling Jewish Council of Australia (JCA), which was established in February 2024 to provide an “expert voice” on antisemitism in Australia whilst acknowledging “the diversity of views within the Jewish community in regard to the State of Israel.” Despite having been formed just over a year ago, the Council has amassed over 930 advisory members.
Dr Max Kaiser, an academic specialising in antisemitism and Australian Jewish history, is one of the Council’s executives. In a press release, Dr Kaiser stated: “universities should be spaces of open inquiry and debate, not censorship and repression.
“The crackdown on students and staff who speak up for Palestinian rights is a clear violation of free speech and academic freedom.
“This inquiry is an important step in documenting these injustices and ensuring that universities uphold their responsibilities to protect political expression, not suppress it.”
The inquiry’s panel comprises activists, students, academics and lawyers.
Submissions are open to the public and can be made here.
