NTEU wins commitment to academic freedom protections
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by admin in Academic Freedom, News
The NTEU has succeeded in convincing the Commonwealth Government to commit to legislating for the protection of academic freedom. The Australian reports:
DRAFT legislation to enshrine academic freedom and limit ministerial interference in university research could be released next year.
The legislation would also aim to thwart racist or other extreme attacks by academics on members of the public.
After years of quiet lobbying over the issue, the National Tertiary Education Union has won a commitment from the Australian Labor Party to “legislate to provide strong and effective protection for academic freedom”.
The breakthrough had its origins in a high-level meeting held in the early days of the Rudd government between Education Minister Julia Gillard, Australian National University and University of Melbourne vice-chancellors Ian Chubb and Glyn Davis, and National Tertiary Education Union officials.
The NTEU, as part of its Our Universities Matter campaign has called for the protection of academic freedom.
Academics in Australia currently have no legal right to academic freedom.
