University of Queensland to take ‘action’ on Indigenous legal history ‘walkout’

University of Queensland will take ‘appropriate action’ after an academic suggested students who allegedly walked out of her law lectures over Indigenous issues would struggle to get jobs.

University of Queensland senior lecturer in law Dani Linder.

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University of Queensland vice-chancellor Deborah Terry says she is taking “appropriate action” after it emerged that an academic suggested students who allegedly walked out of her law lectures over Indigenous issues would struggle to get jobs.

The Australian revealed last week that UQ senior law lecturer Dani Linder chastised first-year, first semester students in 2024 for “protesting against my inclusion of Indigenous perspectives”, warning those students that she remembered their faces and that they should “watch out what you say and what you do” if they ­wanted to do well in their studies.

When contacted for comment last week, UQ said it stood by Dr Linder’s comments and said it had previously conducted a review that found no issue after external concerns were informally raised. “The review found that both the lecture delivery and course content were ­appropriate and balanced, and that no changes to the course ­content or its delivery were recommended,” a spokeswoman said. “No student complaints or concerns were formally received.”

But Professor Terry has now conceded the university would have done things differently if it had more information at the time.

“After considering the student comments in the story and looking further into the matter, the university acknowledges that if it had been aware of the full details, we would have taken steps to understand and address the concerns that have come to light and better support students and staff at the time,” she told The Australian.

“Please be assured the matter has been taken seriously, all available information considered, and appropriate action is under way.

“This includes the university committing to better support its students and staff to have respectful discussions, particularly around challenging topics.

“In addition, as we’ve previously advised, a review of the ­initial course and lecture content was initiated in March 2024 after we received informal feedback from an external member of the legal profession.”

The university did not clarify what the “appropriate action” would be.

Last week, The Australian revealed Dr Linder had delivered a lecture last year and claimed “tens of” students had walked out when she moved onto Indigenous legal history. In a following lecture, she berated students for the “pretty unprofessional” behaviour and claimed some had made “certain racist comments” about her and the way she taught the course.

“I’m the course co-ordinator with authority to run this subject the way in which I see fit, and the way in which I see fit is in alignment with the Council of Australian Law Deans and their approach to indigenising and their commitment to indigenising the curriculum,” she said in audio shared with The Australian.

Dr Linder went on to warn the students: “Watch what you say and what you do if you want to do well in your law degree, because being politically active in a way that’s protesting against my ­inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and up and leaving … that is really inappropriate and I won’t be tolerating it.

“I remember the faces that got up and walked out.

“I can tell you now if you want to get involved in any work while you’re doing your law degree, you’re not going to get hired and you’re not going to last if this is the type of behaviour that you’re ­engaging with.

“There’s been barristers that have become aware of this this week that frequently try and ­engage UQ law students that are like, we’re sick of it, we want students to be likeable, you don’t even need to have necessarily the top marks.”

A student, who requested anonymity, said they felt Dr Linder’s comments were a “direct threat”.

Recently, dozens of academics at UQ have signed a petition in which they “express unqualified support for … Dr Dani Linder”.