Refugees at the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Refugee legislation introduced after the end of apartheid was lauded as being progressive. But implementation has fallen short of international standards.
We need to have a more nuanced discussion about threats to academic freedom – not just a heavily polarised debate based on a poorly constructed audit.
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The Institute for Public Affairs’ audit of academic freedom pits people either for or against universities. This prevents us from having thorough conversations about real threats to academic freedom.
Applications like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp have brought a broad range of users in on public discussions.
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New media platforms have changed the way people create, consume and relate the news.
Sydney University recently hosted sex therapist Bettina Arndt, an event which drew a large number of protesters.
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Universities should very rarely prevent controversial speakers from spreading their message.
Freedom of speech is valuable, but we should always be mindful of how words can wound.
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If we’re serious about freedom of speech, we need a more open and respectful discussion about words that cause insult and offence.
Want to improve freedom of speech? Then let’s talk about defamation law.
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Defamation law poses a considerable threat to freedom of speech in Australia, especially where social media is concerned.
The norm is now that it is no longer OK to discriminate on the basis of race.
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The ‘good old days’ when we could make racist comments without legal recourse were not that good at all – especially for those on the receiving end.
Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has warned against laws that violate freedom.
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While the debate around Section 18C has raged, a host of other laws that impinge on freedom of speech have been quietly introduced.
Duncan Storrar asks a question on ABC television’s Q&A.
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The Australian media are all for free speech – until it clashes with their politics.
19th-century philosopher John Stuart Mill was a leading thinker on free speech.
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The concept of ‘free speech’ is devilishly difficult, and depends greatly on a person’s political and philosophical viewpoint.