The Group of Eight flat out deny a Fairfax report of a meeting with Education Minister Dan Tehan on Thursday night.

The SMH reported Saturday that Mr Tehan “put the idea” of protestors at campus events paying some of the cost of security.

The story was met with outrage in education social media on the weekend and outright rejection by the Group of Eight.

“At no time was such a proposal raised with the Go8 Board and if it had been it would have been rejected immediately for what it is – a threat to freedom of speech.

“We have since been advised that the minister was misrepresented in the media reporting. We will accept in good faith that this was the case. The Go8 will continue our commitment to free intellectual inquiry and public debate on our campuses, conducted in a safe environment.

“What we did indicate to the minister was that our universities have in place procedures and policies to ensure that our students and the broader community who attend events on our campuses do so in a safe environment and that we were happy to share those with him, “ Go8 CEO Vicki Thomson says.