Melbourne's Victoria University has launched a review of administrative processes after staff and students demanded an apology over a controversial anti-Islamic event featuring Liberal defector Cory Bernardi and outspoken backbencher George Christensen on Friday.
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The Q Society event attracted more than 100 anti-racism protesters outside Victoria University's city convention centre, with a bus transporting guests blocked for more than an hour and clashes between attendees and activists.
The "Halal Choices" dinner, part of a two-night fundraising tour billed as part of a defence of free speech, was raising money for the legal defence bill of outspoken Q Society member Kirralie Smith, who is being sued for defamation over videos she made about halal certification practices.
Literary journal Overland published a letter of protest expressing alarm and disappointment to the university council and vice-chancellor Peter Dawkins from 75 current and former staff and students, campus organisations, Victorian Greens MP Colleen Hartland and writer Jeff Sparrow.
"The Q Society is well known for associating Islam with terrorism and lobbying Parliament to ban halal certification," the letter said.
"In 2014, the Q Society toured far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders, who advocates a total ban on Muslim migration. At the Q Society fundraising dinner held in Sydney on Thursday night, Larry Pickering, cartoonist and VIP guest said: 'Let's be honest, I can't stand Muslims'.
"Cory Bernardi, former Liberal Party senator, was a keynote speaker at Friday night's event in Melbourne. Bernardi has been a vocal opponent of Islam, opposes reproductive freedom for women and has linked same-sex marriage to bestiality."
The letter said the event breached policies which forbid university facilities from being made available for unlawful activities and events which are in conflict or incompatible with university values.
"Providing a venue for the Q Society contradicts the university's vision of being '… open and excellent, creating exceptional value for any student from any background and uplifting the communities in which we operate'.
"It also threatens Victoria University Safer Community strategy, which is designed to foster an inclusive and safe environment for staff, students and the broader community."
In an email to Victoria University staff on Monday, Professor Dawkins said the university was "a proudly diverse and multicultural institution" and had launched a review of administrative processes.
"We are strongly committed to promoting diversity and cross-cultural understanding. There is a stark divergence of many of the Q Society's views from VU's values," he said.
"VU deeply regrets that it inadvertently took a booking for this event and apologises for any distress caused to our staff, students and other stakeholders."
Thursday's first fundraising event included homophobic and anti-Muslim comments. Fairfax Media had been invited to attend the Melbourne event, but the invitation was rescinded late on Friday after an article was published describing what was said at the Sydney event.
Labor senator Sam Dastyari said Mr Christensen, as a member of the Queensland Liberal-National Party, should not have been permitted to attend the event.
"This is a right-wing, racist, fringe group. The hateful language that came out from them the night before should have been reason enough for every politician not to go," he said.
"Your attendance at their events . . . is interpreted as government support. If Malcolm Turnbull even remotely had a spine . . . he would be standing up to his own party."
