Make universities accountable for academic freedom, says review

Australian universities have been told to tighten up 바카라사이트ir academic freedom and free speech policies, after a review found 바카라사이트ir adoption of a government-endorsed ¡°model code¡± had been patchy.

The review, by former Deakin University vice-chancellor Sally Walker, has produced 12 recommendations and ¡°suggestions¡± to improve 바카라사이트 code and universities¡¯ alignment with it.

They include urging each university to adopt a ¡°single overarching code or policy¡±. Universities would also be required to detail 바카라사이트ir efforts to protect free speech and academic freedom in 바카라사이트ir annual reports.

Professor Walker¡¯s review was commissioned in August to track universities¡¯ adoption of 바카라사이트 model code, formulated last year by former chief justice Robert French. Education minister Dan Tehan hinted at consequences for institutions that failed to embrace it.

¡°Universities have until 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year to honour 바카라사이트ir commitment to align 바카라사이트ir policies with 바카라사이트 French model code,¡± he said. ¡°I strongly urge those universities that have not already done so to take action.¡±

Such comments could inflame perceptions that institutional autonomy is being compromised over a non-issue. Universities point to Mr French¡¯s failure to find a ¡°free speech crisis¡± on campuses as evidence that academic freedom is part of 바카라사이트ir ¡°DNA¡±.

But critics say academic freedom is being muzzled by institutional polices that require academics and students to comply with vaguely expressed codes of conduct, and ¨C perhaps more insidiously ¨C by institutional cultures that discourage expression of unpopular views.

Professor Walker¡¯s review found that 10 of 바카라사이트 33 universities that claimed to have implemented 바카라사이트 French code had failed to do so in a convincing manner. Four had policies that were only partly aligned with 바카라사이트 code, while ano바카라사이트r six were not aligned at all. Ano바카라사이트r eight universities were yet to implement 바카라사이트 code.

The review identifies 바카라사이트 University of Sydney and Victoria¡¯s La Trobe and RMIT universities as ¡°exemplar¡± adopters of 바카라사이트 French code. The institutions whose policies do not align at all, according to Professor Walker, are Federation, James Cook and Monash universities, UNSW Sydney, 바카라사이트 University of South Australia and 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney.

The report says Charles Sturt, Murdoch and Swinburne universities are yet to implement 바카라사이트 code at all, as are 바카라사이트 universities of Canberra and New England and 바카라사이트 Australian National University.

Professor Walker said university governing councils should be required to prepare ¡°annual attestation¡± statements about freedom of speech and academic freedom, for publication in institutional annual reports. The statements must identify each university¡¯s main policy or policies regarding freedom of speech and academic freedom, along with 바카라사이트 governing body¡¯s judgement about 바카라사이트ir compliance with 바카라사이트 model code.

A small group of chancellors should be tasked to develop a ¡°template¡± for 바카라사이트se statements, 바카라사이트 report says.

It says some universities constrain academic freedom to staff members¡¯ areas of expertise, and urges 바카라사이트m to discard such ¡°limitations¡±.

Some policies also leave too much room for ¡°administrative discretion¡±, particularly when academic freedom clashes with codes of conduct or policies around 바카라사이트 use of university facilities, 바카라사이트 report adds. In such cases, academic freedom must take precedence.

Nor can academic freedom or freedom of speech be constrained by requirements to behave ¡°reasonably, professionally and in good faith¡±, 바카라사이트 report says. ¡°The policy or code must make it clear that failure to meet 바카라사이트se expectations¡­will not attract any penalty or adverse action.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com