New hate speech guidelines for New South Wales schools could silence classroom discussions about Gaza, teachers and legal experts have warned. The state government has amended codes of conduct to explicitly prohibit hate speech across more than 3,000 government, independent and Catholic schools, effective immediately.
Premier Chris Minns said the new guidelines, announced as part of the response to the Bondi beach terror attack, follow existing hate speech legislation. However, decisions on dismissing teachers who breach them will not depend on police prosecutions. The changes also apply to conduct outside the classroom, including social media comments.
Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said the move risks being seen as an attempt to silence discussion on Palestine in schools. 'Schools should be places where students are free to ask difficult questions, and teachers safe to answer them,' he said.
Chris Breen, organiser for Teachers and School Staff for Palestine NSW, expressed deep concern about the new code, claiming members could be 'sacked' for expressing support for the pro-Palestine cause. 'This is a political attack on free speech,' he said.
Minns defended the guidelines, stating they are 'not an attack on freedom of speech … or concern about Palestinians and innocent civilians in Gaza'. He added that the changes respond to cases where the government had 'felt it has been unable to take action' after teachers were accused of hate speech.
Under the change, the NSW Education Standards Authority will amend its registration manuals to clarify that school employees must not have engaged in hate speech, defined under section 93ZAA of the NSW Crimes Act. The deputy premier and education minister, Prue Car, said Nesa would investigate complaints and could direct schools to terminate employment.
