Civil society calls on universities to protect protest and dissent on campus

16 July 2026

More than 40 civil society groups are calling on Australian universities to protect the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and academic freedom on campus, declaring this moment a crisis for the protection of political expression within Australian universities.

The statement, signed by the Human Rights Law Centre, the Australian Democracy Network, the National Tertiary Education Union, Amnesty International Australia, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, and others, expresses grave concern at the increasing restriction on protest and political speech on campuses across the country.

Over the past three years, universities across Australia have cracked down to stifle peaceful assembly and expression using a range of restrictions including:

• Banning certain forms of protest on campus under vague guidelines;
• Imposing onerous notification requirements;
• Surveillance of students, staff and community members who attend protests; and
• Numerous threats of disciplinary action against students and staff who attend protests.

These measures have had a chilling effect on dissent, undermine the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and erode academic freedom. Universities are cornerstones of our democracy, where people should be able to express ideas, gather peacefully and have difficult conversations.

The statement calls for universities to adopt 10 principles to protect protest and political expression including; permitting peaceful protest; ensuring anti-racism measures are non-discriminatory and consistent with human rights; no undue surveillance or disciplinary action for participating in legitimate protest; and that staff and students are consulted when developing rules governing protests.

Read the full statement here.

Regina Featherstone, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre says:

"This is a grave moment in the proud history of protest and dissent at Australian universities.

"Universities exist to foster critical thinking, debate and dissent. They should be doing everything they can to protect the rights of staff and students to speak out, organise and engage in peaceful protest."

"University students and staff have been at the forefront of driving societal change in Australia, from the Freedom Rides, to LGBTIQA+ liberation, to challenging Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. But over the past few years, various anti-protest policies have had a chilling effect on protest and dissent on campus.

"Universities exist to foster critical thinking, debate and dissent. They should be doing everything they can to protect the rights of staff and students to speak out, organise and engage in peaceful protest."

Dr Alison Barnes, National President of the National Tertiary Education Union says:

"Universities should be places where staff and students can speak freely and organise without fear of surveillance, discrimination or other adverse consequences.

"NTEU members' work involves engaging critically with the world around them. When that's restricted, it undermines academic freedom - a cornerstone of healthy universities."

Anastasia Radievska, Protest Rights Campaigner at Australian Democracy Network says:

"Academics and students increasingly face disproportionate disciplinary processes for participating in protest or speech that is plainly within the protected sphere of political expression.

"This narrows the range of voices that can safely be heard within Australia's democratic institutions and undermines the original principles on which modern universities are founded. Universities are essential to social cohesion as sites of robust, plural debate, and this function must be protected."

Mohamed Duar, Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson at Amnesty International Australia says:

"University campuses should be spaces for academic freedom, open debate, and the right to protest."

"Across the world, student protests have been at the centre of fundamental human rights struggles for generations. University campuses should be spaces for academic freedom, open debate, and the right to protest.

"This solidarity across the World has been so widespread that it has been acknowledged by the civilians in Gaza who are enduring Israel's relentless genocide, occupation and apartheid."

Background

Last year, the "In Defence of Dissent" report by Australian Democracy Network and Grata Fund found that universities were playing an increasingly repressive role in relation to protest. Examples highlighted in this report include:

• In 2024, Monash University and University of Melbourne erected signs banning members of the public from entering university land if they intended to participate in protest.
• In October 2024, security guards at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) threatened students with disciplinary action for handing out flyers that use the word 'genocide'.
• University of Sydney and University of Newcastle introduced new Campus Access Policies that required students to notify the university of any protests 48-72 hours beforehand and get approval for activities commonly involved in protest, including setting up tables, using megaphones or placing placards or banners on university land.

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