University of Sydney review proposes ‘civility rule’ that requires ‘meaning of contested words’ to be made clear

The University of Sydney is set to introduce a ‘civility rule’ following a review commissioned after the disbanding of the pro-Palestine encampment. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

The University of Sydney senate has backed the introduction of a new “civility rule” requiring speakers to “make the meaning of contested words and phrases clear to the audience” and to maintain its strict ban on protests in buildings, prompting accusations it is curbing freedom of speech.

The external review into the university’s policies and processes, led by the barrister Bruce Hodgkinson SC, was commissioned after the disbanding of the university’s long-running pro-Palestine encampment in July.