A university has come under fire after its student newspaper published a satirical guide on how to shoplift without getting caught.
The article, addressing skint students worried about food bills during the cost of living crisis, encouraged working class shoppers to pinch from large corporations.
The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, has faced major controversy over the piece in student magazine Semper Floreat after the state's Education Minister criticised it for encouraging crime.
The magazine's editor has meanwhile defended the article, which they said was published tongue-in-cheek to highlight the struggle faced by thousands of students to afford food and bills.
Penned by an anonymous author, the story titled 'The Art of Shoplifting' provided tips for free shopping, or "frifting".
Hacks included targeting large stores far away from home and to avoid parking nearby to prevent being caught.
Frifters were also advised to wear masks and non-identifiable clothing, go during peak hours when stores are at their busiest and to "take CCTV into account", while ending on the advice to "leg it if all else fails".
"Staying above the poverty line, for many, is a full time job," the piece wrote, which described stealing from large corporations as "a legitimate action for the working class to take in the ongoing class war."
The article was condemned by Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace, who accused the magazine of leading students down a path of criminality.
Shadow Education Minister Christian Rowan backed calls for the title to retract the article, saying "we simply can't have a situation where people are encouraged to commit criminal offences".
However, Brisbane councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan said shoplifting was "ethically justified" if a person was starving and had no means of paying for essentials.
Semper Floreat's editor Billie Kugelman defended publishing the piece.
"We stand by our decision to publish the hypothetical safe shoplifting guide as helping hard-done-by students in a world where cost of living is on the rise," he said in a statement.
The magazine drew further criticism over publishing a separate article in the same issue which called for abolition of the police.
The University of Queensland, listed among the world's top 50 universities, has distanced itself from the publication, saying it had no control or input over its contents.
