University of Sydney criticised for plan to ban protest banners being displayed without prior permission
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Critics say new draft policies, including a rule about sending political emails, are ‘even worse’ than last year’s ‘draconian’ crackdown. University of Sydney staff and students would be banned from holding banners on campus without prior permission and staff would be unable to send political emails unless recipients had expressed prior interest under a string of draft policies introduced before the academic year.
In 2024, the sandstone institution introduced a “draconian” protest crackdown that required three days’ notice for demonstrations and explicit permission for megaphones to be used on campus. The Campus Access Policy also restricted the displaying of banners, posters and stickers to noticeboards and places “designated by the university for that purpose”, using only “non-permanent and easily removable methods” such as Blu-Tack or tape.
Individuals who attached a banner to university land without prior permission risked a misconduct notice. Revisions to five other policies, sent to staff last week, have gone further, requiring anyone who “displayed” a banner, defined as “placing or holding materials in a location where they can be seen”, to receive prior permission or risk breaching university policies.
Staff would also be prohibited from sending bulk emails to colleagues on political subjects, unless they had “expressed interest” on receiving communications on that topic. The university confirmed three of the draft policy revisions emerged as a result of its external Hodgkinson review into its policies and processes, commissioned after the disbanding of the university’s long-running pro-Palestine encampment and handed down in November.
