Our email to students

Dear students,

It was a pleasure to see so many of you enjoying Welcome Fest last week. University life is about more than studying: it’s an opportunity to grow through encounters with new people, ideas and experiences. We are proud to be a large and diverse community, and we value the principles of inclusivity, respect and tolerance.

As a University, we take seriously our responsibility to foster an environment where all students can thrive academically, socially and personally. To ensure our campuses are safe and welcoming to all, in Semester 2 2024 we introduced the Campus Access Policy, which set out our expectations for all users of our lands, balancing our commitment to academic freedom and free speech with our safety responsibilities. 

By many measures, the policy has been successful – in Semester 2, students came to campus, attended classes and participated in university life  with a notable reduction in the complaints and expressions of unease that had marked the previous semester. Peaceful protests occurred, and the new rules ensured that our community could still move around campus freely and work or study as usual. We received considerable feedback from staff and students thanking us for listening to them and taking action to make our campus safe for everyone.  

In October 2024, we invited our community to provide feedback on how the policy was being implemented. We received 111 submissions that demonstrated the diversity of our community – some submissions were strongly supportive of the policy, while many were critical.  

Thanks everyone who took the time to share their views. Every submission was read and carefully considered. Your feedback informed significant revisions to some of the processes and procedures associated with the Campus Access Policy’s implementation.  

The revised policy will come into effect from 26 February.  Key provisions include:

• we have removed the 72-hour notice requirement for demonstrations. Some feedback said this requirement was excessive while others suggested it was necessary to ensure adequate security. After considering our resources further, we are confident that, provided organisers notify the University of a proposed demonstration at the same time as they inform others, we will be able to respond appropriately to ensure the safety of our community
• buildings will remain safe spaces on campus for staff and students, with no demonstrations or megaphones indoors
• megaphones will be able to be used outdoors for crowd management without any prior approval, but must not be used to harass or harm others
• any stall, booth or similar structure will require a space booking so that we can avoid clashing claims to the same space
• projecting images onto buildings or structures will not be permitted
• demonstrations must not block access or mobility for those with disabilities,  
• a review provision for anyone whose permission to be on University lands has been revoked.

Every student should feel confident they can be their authentic selves on our campuses and in our classrooms. That’s an essential foundation for creating genuine, meaningful interpersonal connections that make the university experience fun and intellectually fulfilling. As you head to your classes this semester, I encourage you to be brave and open a conversation with someone new, and to listen with curiosity to people who have views different from your own. 

Best,

Annamarie.

Professor Annamarie Jagose
Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor