Law professor at centre of leaked email controversy claims University of Melbourne suspended him because of his political opinion
Guardian Australia on Saturday revealed that Dr Eric Descheemaeker is suing Australia's top-ranked university for discrimination. The legal action comes after a 2023 email written by Descheemaeker to the then head of the Melbourne Law School (MLS) was leaked and posted around the university's Parkville campus last month.
Descheemaeker alleged the University of Melbourne had taken adverse action against him by suspending his employment due to his 'political opinion', court documents show.
Descheemaeker argued this is in contravention of section 351 of the Fair Work Act, which stipulates an employer must not take adverse action against an employee because of a range of attributes including a person's race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, religion or political opinion.
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
Descheemaeker alleged the university will terminate his employment because of his political opinion unless it is 'restrained from doing so'.
The federal circuit and family court heard on Friday the university would not terminate Descheemaeker's employment or take any adverse action until his injunction application had been determined.
Descheemaeker also alleged the university has breached section 340 of the legislation, which says a person must not take adverse action against another person because the other person has a workplace right or has, or has not, exercised a workplace right.
Asked why the university has suspended Descheemaeker, a spokesperson referred to a previous statement by the dean of MLS, Prof Michelle Foster.
'Professor Descheemaeker is an employee of the university and it would be improper to comment on this employment matter,' Foster told Guardian Australia last week.
Descheemaeker's leaked August 2023 email was sent in response to the announcement of an Indigenous cultural safety review at the university. MLS was 'celebrating the 'noble savage'', he wrote in the email, likening the law school to an 'ideological re-education camp'.
Descheemaeker wrote that there was 'absolutely no end to where 'Blak' activists are meaning to take us – except destruction'.
In an email sent to MLS staff last month, Foster said 'sensitive correspondence' from August 2023 had recently been posted on campus noticeboards and social media.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
'I acknowledge that staff and students who read the notices may have been offended or upset by its contents,' Foster said in the email, viewed by Guardian Australia.
Foster said the university had taken immediate steps to remove the correspondence and was investigating how it came to be posted on campus.
'I affirm my steadfast commitment to supporting a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-faith community.'
She said she was committed to ensuring cultural safety at the MLS and supported the 'important work under way in this regard'.
Last week, Descheemaeker's lawyer said their client was unable to comment at this stage. The interlocutory application will be heard on 9 September.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Shocking new details emerge after girl, 13, allegedly stabbed 14-year-old girl to death with a kitchen knife in quiet Newcastle suburb
A 13-year-old girl has been arrested after another teenage girl was allegedly stabbed to death with a kitchen knife in a quiet suburban street. Emergency services rushed to Edgeworth's Euston Close in Newcastle's west on the NSW mid north coast, about 10.20pm on Monday after reports of an alleged stabbing. Officers from Lake Macquarie Police District arrived to find a 14-year-old girl allegedly suffering a stab wound to her torso. Paramedics treated her at the scene before she was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition, but she later died from her injuries. The girl has not yet been formally identified. Police arrested a 13-year-old girl at the scene. It is understood she was known to the victim and is currently assisting detectives with their investigation. A kitchen knife, suspected to have been used in the alleged attack, was seized at the scene for forensic testing. A large crime scene has been established and remains under guard, with police cordoning off the street as specialist forensic teams scoured the area on Tuesday. A large crime scene has been established and remains under guard A white Toyota Corolla, parked across the road from the crime scene, was also searched A white Toyota Corolla, parked across the road from the crime scene, was also searched. Detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are leading the Strike Force Aggnes investigation alongside local police. Neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac said they were shocked by the tragedy. 'It's a very friendly neighbourhood and we have never had any problems living here,' one local told Daily Mail Australia. 'We didn't hear a thing last night and woke up this morning to find the street taped off and police everywhere.' Another neighbour, who lives behind the property, said they often walked past the home where the teenager died. 'My house backs on to theirs and I walk my dog past almost every day,' the neighbour said. 'I have never even seen a teenager in that house so I am absolutely shocked by the news.' Police are urging anyone with information or CCTV footage from the area to come forward.
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
First Nations group launches federal appeal to block construction of main Brisbane 2032 Olympics stadium
A First Nations group has applied to halt construction of the main stadium planned for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The state and federal governments plan to spend $3.8bn on a 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park in inner-city Brisbane. It will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics events. The park will also contain a 25,000-seat national aquatic centre, a warmup track, and other infrastructure. Victoria Park is one of the most significant Indigenous sites in inner-city Brisbane, according to historian Ray Kerkhove. It served as the town camp for up to 1,500 Indigenous people, who were victims of at least one massacre, and is on a songline, he said earlier this year. It is also known as Barrambin. Sign up: AU Breaking News email In May Queensland parliament passed legislation on party lines exempting Games-related development from a number of state planning laws, including the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, and from legal challenge. On Tuesday, the Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation (Ymac) lodged an application with the federal government for permanent legal protection of the park, under section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. The decision lies with the federal environment minister, Murray Watt. 'We know this is a place of great significance and history, not only for Yagara people, but for other First Nations and non-Aboriginal people as well,' said Ymac spokesperson and Yagarabul elder Gaja Kerry Charlton. The LNP leader, David Crisafulli, had promised not to build any new stadiums for the Olympics, and not to build one in Victoria Park, before last year's state election. It was also not mentioned during the May federal election campaign. Crisafulli apologised for breaking the election promise in March, saying the choice was between Victoria Park and a temporary facility in the city's south that wouldn't have proven suitable. Used as a golf course since 1931, Brisbane city council developed a master plan for the site in 2020, converting it back into a park. Local elders participated in a four-year consultation process for the scheme. The plan has been scrapped. Part of the park is heritage listed and the relevant department recommended in April that the protection be expanded to cover the entire area. May's legislation exempts Olympics development from the state Heritage Act. 'It was a complete shock when the premier came out with his stadium plans,' Charlton said. 'He said the park would be protected from stadiums; I thought the park was safe. Now the government wants to destroy it. We are very concerned there are ancient trees, artefacts and very important ecosystems existing there. There may be ancestral remains. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'We stand resolute in our responsibility to protect it.' The federal government threw its support behind the Olympic stadium plan last month, on condition that appropriate consultation was undertaken with stakeholders including First Nations groups. The deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie, and the federal infrastructure minister, Catherine King, were contacted for comment. 'Once Victoria Park is gone, it's gone forever,' Yagara elder Uncle Steven said. 'Will photos be our only memory? Are we going to have to say to our children, our grandchildren: 'this is what your grandparents experienced, but it's not here for you any more?' 'We have so little left of our history, our culture, our social life that we cling to it. And we want to share that with non-Aboriginal people as well.' When built, the Victoria Park stadium will be Queensland's biggest stadium and will serve as the home of cricket and the Brisbane Lions AFL team.
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Salim Mehajer doesn't look like this anymore! Disgraced property developer flaunts new appearance
Disgraced former politician Salim Mehajer has shown off a fresh new look days after being released from jail. The bankrupt property developer and one-time Auburn deputy mayor sported a man bun when he left John Morony Correctional Centre in western Sydney on July 18 as a free man following a five-year stint behind bars. He had been in prison since November 2020, when he was jailed for lying to a court, and has served back-to-back sentences for a raft of other offences, including domestic violence against an ex-partner. Upon his release, Mehajer went straight to Westfield Parramatta to get a new driver's licence at Service NSW. He then headed to a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby in Sydney 's north, where he spent an hour getting his teeth fixed. Mehajer has since visited the hairdresser to get his man bun chopped off and shared his new look with followers on Instagram Stories on Monday. The close-up selfie showed Mehajer, usually only seen in tight-fitting suits, enjoying his new freedom, sporting a grey tracksuit as he relaxed on a bed. The selfie was captioned with his initials in the top left hand corner. The new look comes as Mehajer announced a major update in a court appeal against his domestic violence convictions and sentence, which he argued was 'defective' and unfair. He told the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday that solicitor Zali Burrows, whose signature Mehajer was previously found guilty of forging, would represent him. His bid for a three-month adjournment in the appeal was granted by Justice Julie Ward. Mehajer was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months' jail, but walked free last month when his non-parole period expired. The NSW State Parole Authority recently ruled that Mehajer had completed all possible programs in prison and that his rehabilitation was better served in the community under the supervision of a psychologist and community corrections officers. As part of his strict parole conditions, Mehajer must undergo drug and alcohol testing, participate in domestic violence programs if directed, and not communicate with any outlaw motorcycle gang bikies or associates. He is also banned from contacting his domestic violence victim and travelling to the NSW Central Coast. Mehajer reappeared on social media within hours of his release from jail. 'I am forever grateful,' he shared on Instagram. 'I am fully committed to fulfilling the expectations placed before me. 'Additionally, I express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of my family and friends, as well as the dedication of my legal representative, who has consistently stood by me throughout this journey.'
