Academic and Intellectual Freedom and Palestine

The NTEU believes that intellectual and academic freedom are essential and defining characteristics of autonomous and publicly accountable modern universities. In the university context, intellectual freedom refers to the right of all staff and students to freely hold political and intellectual views and values and express them publicly, without fear of reprisal or retribution or restriction by university policies and procedures.” This extends to all issues, including Palestine.

⁠The branch calls on the University of Melbourne to take steps to protect the freedom of speech and academic expression in relation to Israel’s current violence in Gaza, including:

a.) By repealing the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is politicised, widely contested and creates a chilling effect on academic and intellectual freedom.

b.) By immediately taking steps to facilitate and protect the right of professional staff to express their views on Palestine in the workplace, including undertaking not to issue directives to avoid speech or free expression
c). By publicly guaranteeing the right of all staff to exercise their academic and intellectual freedom, and actively supporting staff who have been targeted, harassed, vilified, or intimidated as a result of their exercise of that freedom.