At Macquarie University, my teacher’s politics matter more than our learning

Macquarie University, at Macquarie Park, Sydney.

Imagine attending university and being made to feel bad for the colour of your skin, what country you were born in and the job you have. It sounds like an environment representing everything society has worked so hard to eradicate over the past century. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung way too far, and this is the experience of many law students at Macquarie University; I suspect it is like this for other students across the country.

I have chosen to write this article under an assumed name, which in itself should tell you everything you need to know about the atmosphere in Macquarie University’s law faculty. Students are genuinely fearful that if they express an opinion outside the scope of what is accepted they will not achieve the marks they deserve.

I enrolled in law several years ago with a strong sense of justice and a passion to learn about how our legal system operates. I learnt very quickly that this was not at all the primary focus of my course. So far in my degree, we have been taught that people with positions of power in society obtained these from “stepping on the shoulders of others”.

We have been taught that if we are not Indigenous Australians we are “visitors” or “guests” in our own country. We’ve been taught that childhood is a “social construct” and children should not be viewed as mini humans with mini human rights, but should be equal to adults. We have been taught families can be genderless, and we should not question this reality.

Much of our course content is dictated not by the law we will be using in practice one day, but by how we can further compensate for the wrongs committed against Aboriginal people that occurred at a time when most of our parents weren’t even alive. Students are wondering why we should have to put countless hours into writing about past events that happened almost a century ago, when there are a plethora of relevant topics to choose from that we can apply in practice.

These ideas are so far removed from reality and so out of touch with the necessary skills we need to be successful lawyers. We should be building each other up, not belittling those that come from different backgrounds or have different opinions.

If it wasn’t such a serious topic, I would say it’s almost comical that the whole purpose of this indoctrination is to create a more inclusive society. Universities around Australia, such as Macquarie, need a wake-up call because this mentality is making people feel less included than ever.

There is an incredibly loud minority who make those that don’t subscribe to these woke ideologies feel like they can’t publicly express their opinion. More importantly, it’s not just a matter of a fear of persecution and public ridicule, it’s the fact that if we do not subscribe to these opinions, this will be reflected in the marks we are awarded. This matters because it is shaping the future of our workforce.

The law should not be conflated with the political opinions of our teachers. We come to university to learn black letter law and how to be strong and impartial advocates of our legal system. Frankly, we are tired of this information being force-fed to us with a side of political commentary. Our marks should be a reflection of our hard work. They should reflect our understanding of the law and our ability to solve real-world issues, not how well we can agree with the point of view of the lecturers.

Studying a law degree should involve respecting those laws that recognise our right to disagree with others. Unfortunately, at Macquarie, I feel pressured to express an opinion I don’t truly believe in because I am afraid of the consequences of saying otherwise. This completely opposes the very foundation of what law students are meant to learn; critical thinking, open-mindedness and problem solving that doesn’t involve a predetermined and politically charged conclusion.

I really hope that enough people will express their outrage over this. Because for a long time now, it has felt like going to university is simply “ticking” a very expensive box to be allowed to one day practise; we are forced to sit and listen to the same political opinions of the unit conveners without being allowed to question or challenge their point of view.

Students place their blind trust in these institutions to deliver impartial and factual information. It is so important they start living up to this basic standard.

*This article has been written under an assumed name because of fear of reprisal.