Parliamentary Research Brief – The Free Speech Crisis In Australian Universities And How To Solve It

University hostility to freedom of speech has more than doubled since 2016

In 2016, 67% of Australian universities enforced policies that were explicitly hostile to free speech. In 2023, that number has increased to 90%.

Hostility to free speech on campus can be measured by the number and severity of conduct polices enforced by universities. The combined hostility score across all institutions increased by 117% between 2016 and 2023.

Chart 1: Changes in combined hostility scores of all Australian universities, 2016 to 2023

Universities that adopt policies directly hostile to free speech on campus are rated ‘red’. Universities with policies that can potentially limit free speech are rated ‘amber’, and the absence of restrictive policies give a university a ‘green’ rating.

There are no green-rated universities left in Australia.