Canberra's major universities have reaffirmed their commitment to introducing policies on freedom of speech and academic freedom after being called out for not implementing the French model code.
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Australian universities agreed to adopt the principals of the model code produced by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French last year.
Professor Sally Walker was commissioned to review the progress universities had made towards implementing the code in their policies.
Her report, published on Wednesday, found 23 universities had policies that were fully or mostly aligned with the model code.
The University of Canberra and Australian National University were among eight universities who had not yet implemented the code.
University of Canberra vice-chancellor Paddy Nixon said the university had a clear intention to adopt the model code and a working group had been established to develop the policies.
"Our approach has been to take the time to prepare our policies thoughtfully and well, and we will now move forward giving consideration to Professor Walker's report and findings," Professor Nixon said.
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An ANU spokesman said the institution had released a statement on academic freedom in 2018 prior to the French Review.
"ANU has been a leading and early mover in Australia and the world when it comes to academic freedom," the spokesman said.
"We are now in the process of ensuring the spirit and substance of the French Model is embedded in and aligns with all our relevant policies."
Professor Walker recommended that universities have a single policy relating to academic freedom rather than a piecemeal approach.
"Having one policy gives greater confidence to people than having to search through a range of policies to find whether they're protected by academic freedom or freedom of speech," she said.
She also recommended university governing bodies include a statement on their alignment with the code in each annual report.
Education Minister Dan Tehan said he wanted universities to finalise their policies by the end of the year.
"There are some universities who really will need to lift their game, and I'm hoping that this will be a bit of a wakeup call for them and that they will get serious about this," he said.
Sarah Lansdown
Sarah covers all stages of education in the capital, from early childhood to higher education. Previously she was a general news reporter at The Advocate in North West Tasmania. She was named Best New Journalist at the 2019 Tasmanian Media Awards for a series on paramedic shortages. Email: sarah.lansdown@canberratimes.com.au
Sarah covers all stages of education in the capital, from early childhood to higher education. Previously she was a general news reporter at The Advocate in North West Tasmania. She was named Best New Journalist at the 2019 Tasmanian Media Awards for a series on paramedic shortages. Email: sarah.lansdown@canberratimes.com.au
