‘Lecture-bashing' ban among new rules for Sydney University students

The Age

02-06-2025

University of Sydney academics have been banned from allowing students to make non-course-related announcements at the start of a lecture, under new rules the institution says balance campus safety and academic freedom.
It comes after the university spent $441,789 on an external review to combat antisemitism in the 18 months following Hamas' October 7 attacks and complaints from Jewish students that they did not feel safe at the institution.
Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said the move was one of five new revised policies that articulated what was and was not acceptable, designed so everyone 'feels safe to be themselves no matter their religion, gender, sexuality, race or ability'.
'In a world of increased conflict and polarisation, that can be challenging. But over the past year, we've done some significant work across the university to ensure our campus is a place where everyone can thrive,' he said in an email on Monday afternoon.
'These policies balance our commitments to campus safety with those to academic freedom and freedom of speech and set clear standards for what is and isn't acceptable.'
For decades, students at Sydney University have engaged in the practice of 'lecture bashing', whereby lecturers permit students to make political statements about non-course-related material.
Student representative council president Angus Fisher said the new rules are an extremely disappointing step because they impinge on the university's long history of political debate.
'In a context where external alt-right anti-abortion representatives come to campus weekly to harass students, it is unclear to me how a ban on lecture announcements results in anything less than stifling free speech and debate,' he said.