freedom of speech

The preparation of Australian values and the enduring importance of the nation-state is motivated by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee’s Inquiry into nationhood, national identity and democracy. This inquiry’s remit is broad and ranges from changing notions of nationhood, declining public trust in Australia’s major political institutions, and the impact of globalisation and economic interdependence on the nation

There is a freedom of religion problem in Australia because there is a freedom of speech problem. The Coalition government has failed to refute the notion that freedom of speech is a positive right granted by government as the right to discriminate. Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, for example, makes it unlawful for a person to engage in

 New IPA research, conducted as part of the IPA’s Generation Liberty Program, confirms there is a free speech crisis at Australia’s universities. The IPA commissioned a survey of 500 domestic Australian university students as part of a forthcoming report, The Free Speech Crisis at Australia’s Universities. The survey, conducted by independent market research company Dynata, includes students of all

New research released today by free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs confirms there is a free speech crisis at Australia’s universities. A survey of 500 domestic Australian university students, commissioned by the IPA from independent market research company, Dynata reveals: 41% of students feel they are sometimes unable to express their opinion at university 31% of students

“The federal government’s plan to prohibit religious discrimination is a welcome start, but more work is needed to avoid counter-productive and unintended consequences which may limit rather than strengthen religious freedom,” said Morgan Begg, Research Fellow at the free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. Attorney-General Christian Porter this morning released the exposure draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill

Australian university leaders and their supporters have asserted repeatedly that there is no problem with free speech on campuses. The evidence hardly supports this. If there were no problem, James Cook University would not have unlawfully sacked Peter Ridd for criticising his colleagues’ science about the Great Barrier Reef. If there were no problem, students would not have attempted to

What is happening to Israel Folau should not happen in a free society. GoFundMe’s hypocritical decision to shut down a fundraiser for rugby star and devout Christian Israel Folau is another win for the self-appointed cosmopolitan elite who want to control how Australians speak and think. Last Monday, GoFundMe, a website which allows users to solicit donations for a variety

Trust the perennially sanctimonious Kerryn Phelps to capture in a couple of sentences why the Israel Folau saga has resonated with so many. The one-time MP took to Twitter on Tuesday to share her thoughts on the matter. ‘The haters and homophobes have been waiting since the YES vote for a trigger to set off a “religious freedoms” campaign as

“An inquiry into press freedom must include laws which infringe on the freedom of speech of all Australians, such as Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act,” said Gideon Rozner, Director of Policy at free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. The Institute of Public Affairs today announced its support for an independent inquiry into press freedom, in response

‘Vindicated. The score is 17-nil, the judge’s findings were damning. It could not have gone better,’ Professor Peter Ridd explains shortly after the historic judgement in Ridd v. James Cook University was handed down in Brisbane last week. This was a momentous occasion. It came 1,082 days after this whole ordeal began when Ridd was first unlawfully censured by the university for