Government Commits to Protection of Academics' Intellectual Freedom. (May 26, 2011)

Jeannie Rea, the president of the National Tertiary Education Union, today noted: "The Government, and in particular Senator Kim Carr and Prime Minister Gillard, gave a commitment to the NTEU that this Government would acknowledge in legislation that one of the distinctive purposes of every Australian university is to promote and protect free intellectual inquiry," and went on to acknowledge that the government has now delivered "on its commitment in protecting the fundamental right of critical inquiry and intellectual freedom in Australia's universities.

"By amending the objectives of the HESA [Higher Education Support Act ], the [changes] will require each university entering into a Mission Based Compact with the Commonwealth to have 'a policy that upholds free intellectual inquiry in relation to learning, teaching and research'. These changes, which are well overdue in Australia, are an explicit acknowledgement that university staff have a right and a responsibility to exercise free intellectual inquiry, including the right to expression of controversial or unpopular opinions without being disadvantaged or discriminated against."