Monash University ‘can’t help free speech’

Monash University says it is powerless to compel its student association to adhere to the principles of free speech.

Generation Liberty members Cassandra Friedman and Tom Ellis. Picture: Saul Muscatel

Monash University says it is powerless to compel its student association to adhere to the principles of free speech, after a youth liberty organisation was prevented from participating in orientation week.

The Institute of Public Affairs has called on the university’s leadership to stop censorship on campus after the Monash Student Association rejected an application by Generation Liberty, the junior arm of the think tank, to host a stall during last month’s O-Fest.

The association cited the IPA’s stance on climate policy as justification for its decision.

Generation Liberty national manager Renee Gorman said the knock-back based on “perceived political beliefs” of the organisation was “an insult” to Monash students, “who should be free to decide for themselves”.

She said the organisation, which has 2000 members and is dedicated to the ideas of liberty and freedom, had hosted dozens of campus events, including debates and documentary screenings, without incident. Its latest project is an online book club promoting classic literary works.

“The vice-chancellor of Monash University, Professor Margaret Gardner, must intervene to prevent the MSA using their power to undermine the purpose of a university by censoring speech and ideas,” Ms Gorman said. “This kind of censorship must never happen again to any organisation on any university campus in Australia.”

The criticism comes as the university sector is under mounting pressure to protect freedom of speech after a scathing review by Professor Sally Walker revealed just nine out of 42 tertiary institutions have aligned themselves with a government-backed model code on free speech. Monash is among six universities deemed to have not aligned with the French code.

Following a complaint from Generation Liberty last month, Monash University chief operating officer Peter Marshall wrote back to the group advising that the institution valued and protected freedom of speech.

However, he said, the MSA was “an independent incorporated association” and the university was “unable to compel the MSA as to who should participate in its sanctioned events”.

Third-year arts and commerce student Tom Ellis, who joined Generation Liberty about a year ago, said the group had been unfairly politicised.

“To have MSA say that we can’t exist — it’s both insulting and unproductive for a university whose main objective is to advance discussion and debate around competing ideas,” Mr Ellis said.

A Monash University spokeswoman confirmed Generation Liberty’s complaint but noted that the organisation was a “project of the Institute of Public Affairs” was “not a recognised Monash student organisation”.

She said the university did not control MSA governance. “The university is fully committed to freedom of speech,” she said.

An MSA spokeswoman said Generation Liberty failed to comply with MSA’s terms and conditions, which “preclude vendors from engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct”.