The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has proposed a blanket ban on indoor protests.
On Tuesday 6th May, the UTS Student Association (UTSSA) President Mia Campbell was told in a meeting with the UTS administration that there would be a blanket ban on all indoor protests at UTS, purportedly in order to “protect [work, health and safety] for staff”.
This change was not made in consultation with staff, the UTSSA or the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).
In correspondence dated 13th May, signed by Campbell and UTS NTEU Branch President Sarah Attfield to UTS Chief Operating Officer Glen Babington, Campbell and Attfield wrote “We strongly urge UTS not to proceed with this proposed change.
“Instead, indoor protests should remain regulated in the same manner as outdoor protests: through transparent dialogue, case-by-case risk assessment, and cooperation with UTS Security.
“This approach supports the physical safety of everyone on campus while preserving the democratic rights of students and staff.”
Babington responded on 23rd May, stating that “The University has a responsibility to balance its duty of care to community safety and wellbeing, its compliance obligations and its support for academic freedom and freedom of expression; and this can be a difficult balance to achieve.
“[The] University of Sydney has prohibited indoor protests already and UNSW, like our current provisions, requires demonstrators to “not unreasonably disrupt access to and from the University’s premises and grounds”.”
He went on to say that “indoor protests would impact entry and exit points and create additional safety issues” and furthermore, that indoor protests would “pose significant risks to the safety and wellbeing of all occupants” of a building.
Babington said that, “At no point was there, or is there, an attempt to restrict academic freedom or freedom of expression.”
Attfield told Honi, in reference to the impact of the proposed blanket ban, “Universities are public spaces, whether you’re inside or outside of campus buildings. Any attempts to ban protest are an impingement on student and staff basic rights.
“UTS’ own Freedom of Expression Policy says that academic freedom is a fundamental value at UTS; how is a blanket ban on indoor protests not a complete affront to this policy?
“Students have already been stopped from handing out flyers, and staff have been asked to present ID when partaking in activities.
“Staff at UTS are about to enter into a process of enterprise bargaining to improve our working conditions. The last thing we need is another excuse for management to obstruct our rights to exercise protected industrial action. Our campuses should be places where students and staff have freedom of expression, not where our voices are suppressed.”
