The Government Has Ordered A Review Into Free Speech At Australian Universities

Universities say freedom of expression is already alive and well on campuses, thanks for asking.

The rules around protecting free speech on Australian university campuses are set to be reviewed by a former High Court judge.

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Former High Court Chief Justice Robert French will undertake the review, the federal government announced on Wednesday.

French will look at the existing rules around free speech in areas including codes of conduct and enterprise agreements, and international approaches to protecting free expression and free intellectual inquiry.

Universities have questioned the need for the review. Universities Australia (UA) said on Wednesday that Australia's universities had more than 100 policies, codes and agreements supporting free intellectual inquiry.

"In this context, it is unclear what issue the government is seeking to address," UA chair Margaret Gardner said in a press statement.

French said in a statement released by education minister Dan Tehan he would aim to create a "Model Code" for universities.

In the same statement Tehan said: "We must ensure our universities are places that protect all free speech, even where what is being said may be unpopular or challenging."

Tehan has previously suggested making campus protesters pay for the costs of providing security.

In September students at the University of Sydney protested a speech by Bettina Arndt titled "Is there a rape crisis on campus?", which was hosted by the Liberal Club. La Trobe University had earlier blocked Arndt's speaking tour, but reversed the decision.

Last month, French gave a speech in Darwin arguing that a "very high threshold" should be met before universities or groups tried to prevent speech on campus because of its content, and that threshold would be met if the speech was in breach of the law.

French said in the statement the review will be conducted in consultation with the universities and respect their "legitimate institutional autonomy".

The government has recently faced criticism for threatening academic freedom by blocking 11 grants, worth $4.2 million, recommended by the independent Australian Research Council. Last month Tehan defended the decision, made by his predecessor Simon Birmingham.