free speech

A young person on a scooter rides past apartments in a Chinese city

Without academic freedom and rule of law it’s hard to see how China’s economy can continue to grow so fast.

many tv screens offering multiple choices

Competition in the marketplace for ideas is different to competition in the market for ordinary goods and services. Bad ideas don't necessarily get trashed.

Human Rights

Concerns have been raised about whether Australia adequately protects human rights given multiple reports of abuses, including mistreatment of juvenile detainees, write George Williams and Daniel Reynolds.

free speech

The 'good old days' when we could make racist comments without legal recourse were not that good at all – especially for those on the receiving end, writes Luke McNamara.

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Australia is in the midst of a free speech debate that threatens to go nowhere, writes George Williams.

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Is your right to free speech spelt out in the Australian Constitution? Hear leading experts debate the issues at a free public forum at UNSW tonight. 

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There's a good case to argue that columnist Chris Kenny would have been better served if he'd simply laughed off The Chaser skit that caused him so much offence, writes Mark Rolfe. 

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Proponents of the 'right to be a bigot' are keen to ignore the historical contexts which gave birth to hate speech – something which minority groups should never forget, writes Fergal Davis.

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Something is fishy when bigots' rights are put ahead of protections for the vulnerable, writes Peter Balint. 

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The Coalition has dug itself into a deep hole before its proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act are even considered, writes Andrew Lynch. 

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