Legal and Risk Blog

What you should know when undertaking activities outside the University

In their personal capacity, University staff can be involved in a variety of activities outside of the University. Where those activities relate to an area of academic expertise or are connected to employment or status at the University, we all need to carefully draw a line between our personal interests and those of the University. …

New laws address academic freedom and freedom of speech in higher education

Academic freedom and freedom of speech are a part of laws regulating the higher education sector and academic activities. In March 2021, the Australian Parliament amended the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) (the HESA) to specify that one of the specific purposes of the higher education sector is “the promotion and protection of freedom …

Freedom of Information: Public access to University records

The Freedom of Information Act 1991 (SA) (FOI Act) gives anyone a right to access documents held by public agencies such as universities. The object of the FOI Act is to promote openness and public accountability. In this spirit, all documents within the scope of an FOI request must be made available to the person …

Updated contract templates for Foreign Arrangements

The Foreign Arrangements Scheme commenced on Tuesday 10 March 2021. The scheme introduces a formal notification requirement that applies to foreign arrangements entered into by all Australian state and territory entities, including public universities. The Scheme is established by the Commonwealth legislation Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 (the Act). Under the …