The People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine officially closed its submissions on 15 April. It received over 150 submissions from individuals, organisations, and collectives that detail the suppression of free speech relating to Palestine by university executives since October 2023.
So, what can we expect next?
According to the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) website, submissions are now being assessed by the inquiry panel, which comprises of representatives from APAN, the National Union of Students (NUS), Students for Palestine, and the Jewish Council of Australia. The panel will compile a report based on findings and provide recommendations based on evidence.
Honi reached out to Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who announced the inquiry’s launch in February. She said that “the inquiry will expose the extent to which universities have tried to silence staff and students speaking out on Israel’s genocide in Gaza” where “Over the last 18 months, universities have resorted to harsh measures to silence voices when it comes to standing up for Palestine, one of the biggest injustices of our time.”
Faruqi also stressed the importance of universities as “political spaces where students and staff are encouraged to speak out on issues of social, racial and environmental justice, and where they can do so without fear of retaliation or punishment from their institution.” Echoing the call of human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, Faruqi also said that “the suppression of these voices threatens not only academic freedom but core values of justice, freedom of speech, and human rights.”
She linked the campus-based repression of free speech on Palestine to a broader political climate where “both Labor and the Liberals have cracked down on pro-Palestine protestors and vilified them time and time again. They have rushed through draconian anti-protest laws and disgraceful mandatory minimum sentencing laws based on the hoax ‘caravan plot’… Sadly, universities are doing the same by punishing their community.” She condemned the silence of Australian universities on genocide in Gaza as well as the “partnerships and investments in major arms manufacturers which contribute to and profit from Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Faruqi called the inquiry “a way to amplify [the student’s] right to speak out and show that their voices matter. The fight for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised is never easy, but their brave actions will help pave the way for a free Palestine.”
Many University of Sydney (USyd) collectives and individuals submitted evidence to the inquiry. Students Representative Council (SRC) Education Officer Luke Mešterović told Honi that “the [Inquiry] represents a monumental opportunity to shed light on how universities have attempted to threaten and shut down student activists fighting for a free Palestine and divestment from weapons companies.”
On his personal experience with free speech restrictions, he said, “I, along with other comrades, received a notice from the university administration that I had breached the Campus Access Policy because I was involved in a protest without notifying them.”
Mešterović said, “This is a betrayal of what universities are supposed to be about…Instead, we’ve seen the University weaponise the [CAP] to scare and silence students, such as when they threatened to suspend a trans asylum seeker, Luna, who was under threat of deportation.”
Mešterović referenced a suspension request given to a transgender international student and asylum seeker, Luna, over images of pro-Palestine slogans written on a university whiteboard, which were attributed to her in early March. The suspension would have placed Luna under threat of deportation to Malaysia, where she would have been forced to detransition. The University later cited administrative errors as the reason for the suspension request, before clarifying that Luna would not face suspension. Mešterović said of the incident: “[This] is not good enough. Students should not have to go to the media to publicise every account of their rights being infringed.”
Mešterović said that he “hope[s] the inquiry brings our University’s bullying and scare tactics out of the shadows and into the light, where it can be scrutinised and held to account.”
He concluded: “[E]ven if the University refused to engage with the inquiry’s findings, student activists will carry on, because for as long as apartheid continues, we will not stop talking about Palestine.”
According to the Inquiry’s website, the purpose of the Inquiry is twofold: to establish whether student and staff human rights have been violated by governments and University administrations; and to determine whether universities are upholding academic freedom, as well as freedom of speech and expression as it relates to Palestine.
In response to questioning over USyd’s readiness to respond to the findings of the recommendation, a University spokesperson provided this statement:
“We know many of our staff and students have a direct connection to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and we’re continuing to offer appropriate support and working to ensure our University is free from any form of discrimination. We’re also working hard to balance our community’s rights to both freedom of speech and safety and wellbeing, and will consider the inquiry’s report and any recommendations once available — as well as the recommendations of other recent inquiries and regulators that are made.”
The reference to other recent inquiries is likely referring to the Hodgkinson Report, commissioned externally by the USyd last year in response to the Gaza solidarity encampment. In December 2024, the Human Rights Law Centre’s Legal Director Sarah Schwartz said: “The [Hodgkinson] report acknowledges rising Islamophobia, the issue of falsely labelling support for Palestinians as antisemitic, and the diversity of Jewish staff and students, some of whom participated in or supported the encampments. However, its recommendations largely respond to concerns that the encampments made some feel distressed, as well as reports of antisemitism. It recommends banning protests in buildings, prohibiting encampments, restricting the placement of posters, banning student announcements before lectures and introducing a vaguely defined “civility rule”.” She further urged universities to “step forward to provide genuine spaces for education, debate and protest, with any limitations grounded in human rights law.”
Honi is continuing to monitor the developments of the Inquiry.
