I never complained to Queensland University, says alleged online bullying victim

A man named as a victim of online abuse in disciplinary charges against suspended student Drew Pavlou says he never complained about the activist.

Suspended University of Queensland student Drew Pavlou at a Tiananmen Square vigil in Brisbane on Thursday night. Picture: AAP Image

A former University of Queensland staff member, allegedly named as a victim of online abuse in disciplinary charges against now suspended student Drew Pavlou, says he never complaine­d about the activist.

As the UQ senate meets on Friday for an extraordinary session over Mr Pavlou’s two-year suspension, his barrister Tony Morris QC has accused UQ of confecting allegations against the student after his criticism of Chinese influence on campus.

Last Friday, a disciplinary panel suspended Mr Pavlou, 20, after a closed-door hearing into 11 allegations over his campus activis­m, including leading a pro-Hong Kong democracy protest last year.

The suspension covers the duration of his term as a student-elected member of the UQ senate­, the governing body of the university, in which he took his seat in January after a vote of 35,000 undergraduate students.

Mr Pavlou’s treatment by UQ has sparked outrage among some academics and in political circles, and prompted chancellor Peter Varghese to issue a statement just after the suspension raising his “concern” about the severity of the penalty.

“In consultation with the vice-chancellor (Peter Hoj), who has played no role in this discip­linary process, I have decided­ to convene­ an out-of-session­ meeting of UQ’s senate next week to discuss the matter,’’ it said.

Professor Hoj recused himself from senate deliberations and Mr Pavlou has been excluded because of conflict of interest.

Mr Pavlou admitted to swearing at students on Facebook and in forums, which are among some of the online exchanges that form charges he “harassed, bullied, threatened or abused” that led to his suspension.

In the appeal submission, Mr Morris said there was no evidence provided in the disciplinary proceed­ings that “a single witness was contacted or interviewed who claims to have been subjected to the treatment which Mr Pavlou is alleged to have inflicte­d upon them’’.

Mr Morris said a former “session­al staff member” of UQ, named as a victim of the alleged online bullying by Mr Pavlou in an exchange, contacted him to say he had never complained to UQ. “To my knowledge, two of the people involved in the exchang­e did not make formal complaints to UQ — and I certainl­y have not,’’ he wrote.

“Apparently, the complaint mentions that I was ‘distressed’, which is from my point of view laughable. While I think it was characteristically crass of him to write to a female friend the way he did, I feel this complaint has been largely manufactured.’’

After his suspension, Mr Pavlou­ said the action was a “travesty of justice’’, accusing Mr Varg­hese and Professor Hoj of intervening only because of the public outcry.