Charter required to protect academic freedom
Posted on 27. Nov, 2008 by admin in Academic Freedom, Comment
Prof. George Williams from University of New South Wales writes in Advocate – the NTEU National Journal – about the need to have a charter to protect academic freedom.
The best way forward is not only to oppose specific threats to academic freedom but to support with a coalition of like interests broader reform to our system of government and to the legal rules. That reform should include the better protection of democratic freedoms through a national charter of human rights. Although such a law has been enacted in the ACT (Human Rights Act 2004) and Victoria (Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006), Australia remains the only democratic nation without a national law of this kind. Experience elsewhere shows that a Charter could give real protection to human rights like freedom of speech and could have a powerful impact in shaping public debate.
Read the entire article on the Debate page, or download Advocate.
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