Higher Education Becomes Key Election Issue As Government Confirms Cuts Higher Education Becomes Key Election Issue As Government Confirms Cuts
A general view of Sydney University campus on April 6, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham confirming the Government plans to cut university funding in addition to implementing the university deregulation plan which was put forward in the 2014 budget. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

The University of Sydney is limiting protest and political expressions on campus with a new draft of policies that earned them pushback from students.

While not entirely a ban, the university students will now need permission to display banners and restrict sending bulk political emails by staff unless they have first expressed interest in the subject matter. Those opposed see these measures as a further escalation of the "draconian" protest rules that were brought into place in 2024.

Revisions follow recommendations from the Hodgkinson review, conducted after the university dissolved a pro-Palestine encampment, per The Guardian.

Among the proposed rules are forbidding students to address classes on topics outside the course syllabus, setting tight rules about posters, and potentially introducing a "civility rule" that could help clear up contentious language in speeches. All of this will help find the right balance between free speech and safety and well-being, officials say.

University of Sydney Hit with Critics After Plans to Limit Campus Activism

However, critics see the policies as authoritarian, right after the drafts were released, according to City Hub Sydney.

History lecturer David Brophy said that they were more restrictive than the Australian law allows and that they would "chill activism on campus and in society."

Angus Fisher, the SRC president, pointed out that the policies threaten the university's rich activist history, which boasts such notable alumni as Australia's current prime minister.

The Greens' spokesperson on higher education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, stated that the reforms were worse than last year's measures. There is widespread fear that these reforms would severely check the freedom of speech and political participation on campus by students and staff who have identified the university as a free and open space.

For now, the university officials are currently consulting with the staff and students to get feedback on the proposed policies, with a submission deadline of February 13.

According to Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Annamarie Jagose, the free speech and academic freedom should be preserved while maintaining the inclusivity and safety of the campus.

Topics University of sydney, Campus, Campus life