Greens Deputy Leader and Higher Education Spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has strongly condemned the University of Melbourne following findings by the Victorian Privacy and Data Protection deputy commissioner that the university unlawfully surveilled students and staff during a pro-Palestine protest by using Wi-Fi location data. The deputy commissioner found that because "the collection and use of the data involved the surveillance of students and staff, and surveillance by its nature is antithetical to human rights, the breach was serious".
The University of Melbourne has maintained that its use of Wi-Fi location data was reasonable "given the overriding need to keep our community safe".
As stated by Senator Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for Higher Education:
"The University of Melbourne has doubled down on unlawful surveillance and failed to apologise for its serious breach of privacy.
"Universities should nurture critical thought, dissent and protest. Surveillance is the tool of authoritarian states, not places of learning.
"Using Wi-Fi tracking, CCTV footage and email monitoring against students and staff is a profound betrayal of trust. A university that spies on its students has lost its moral compass.
"Universities should defend free expression, not police it. When a university treats protest as a crime, it betrays its own purpose.
"The University of Melbourne's claim that the surveillance was justified to ensure community safety is a harmful narrative designed to smear protestors. The real threat to safety is Israel's genocide in Gaza - and yet the University continues to maintain links with weapons companies fuelling that genocide."
"Instead of doubling down on this punitive response-one which has already harmed students and staff-the University must offer an unconditional public apology, reverse all disciplinary actions against pro-Palestine protestors, end ties to weapons companies and immediately commit to transparent policy reform that respects privacy, academic freedom, and the right to protest."
