Vice chancellors have united to assert their institutions’ independence. In a statement this morning the leaders of all 39 members of Universities Australia state;

‘Universities have a special role as institutions dedicated to free, open and critical expression across the full scope of human knowledge and endeavour. Central to this role is the freedom of staff and students to teach, research, debate and learn independent of external political circumstance and pressure.”

The statement follows Education Minister Dan Tehan announcing a “public interest test” for Australian Research Council funding and demands that university managements protect freedom of speech from campus activists.

UA President and Monash VC Margaret Gardner added;

“Every day on campuses across our country, students and academics debate ideas freely, with respect for evidence and academic expertise, and engage with a broad diversity of views. This lively culture of debate is alive and well in our nation’s university communities.”