Never has it been so important for Australian universities to be places of free intellectual inquiry than it is right now. 

But it is the most pressing issue of our times – namely how governments respond to COVID-19 and climate change—that are the topics which are most susceptible to suppression and censorship on university campuses. 

The reality in Australian academia now is that staff codes of conduct are powerful weapons against open debate and freedom of speech.  

A judgment from the High Court scheduled to be handed down this morning will determine how far the reach of these codes can go.