The free speech code drawn up by former chief justice of the High Court of Australia, Robert French, is a welcome affirmation of the necessity of free speech on university campuses. The code forbids prohibiting speech merely because its content is unpopular or controversial.

The French Report was commissioned by Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, after some high-profile cases of viewpoint punishment or viewpoint censorship, such as James Cook University’s sacking Peter Ridd following his public statements about the state of science about the Great Barrier Reef and the violent protests against an event at Sydney University featuring anti-feminist speaker Bettina...