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• Free Speech

Freedom of speech is a crucial principle of a liberal democracy that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction.

Don’t kill free speech to kill hate speech
Monica WilkieSeptember 27, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Flawed ‘hate speech’ laws are a threat to free speech. The best way to protect...

Don’t shout, we already have the laws
Monica WilkieSeptember 27, 2019The Australian

The answer to “hate speech” is not the introduction of a never-ending stream of laws...

Protecting minorities does not require sacrificing free speech
Monica WilkieSeptember 24, 2019Online Opinion

Flawed ‘hate speech’ laws are a threat to free speech. The bill introduced by Victorian...

Criminalising Hate Speech: Australia’s crusade against vilification
Monica WilkieSeptember 18, 2019AP6

In Australia, there are a range of criminal and civil vilification laws that exist to...

New CIS research: To protect free speech and minorities focus on criminalising incitement
Monica WilkieSeptember 18, 2019MEDIA RELEASE

Those pushing for expanded ‘hate speech laws’ are threatening free speech in Australia by seeking...

Creativity in an Age of Constraint – Melbourne
Monica Wilkie, Lionel ShriverSeptember 4, 2019

Monica Wilkie and distinguished American-British novelist Lionel Shriver in Melbourne sat down and discussed the...

What are we fighting for? Islamism and the threat to liberal values
David KilcullenNovember 12, 2014

As prepared I want first to thank the Centre for Independent Studies for the opportunity...

A Quartet of Freedoms: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Association and Conscience
Jeremy Sammut, Peter Kurti, Robert ForsythOctober 16, 2014OP135

Political Rights, to which Australia is a signatory, gives high prominence to freedom of religion....

Conversation with Daniel Hannan
Nick CaterFebruary 14, 2014

Nick Cater in conversation with Daniel Hannan MEP February, 2014 Daniel Hannan is one of...

After the Riot: the Meaning for Multicultural Australia
Benjamin Herscovitch, Jeremy Sammut, Peter KurtiOctober 11, 2012IA135

Innocence of Muslims Among thinking Australians, these concerns are not a manifestation of inherent prejudice;...

You Can’t Say That! Freedom of Speech and the Invisible Muzzle
Brendan O'Neill, James Allan, Janet Albrechtsen, Thilo SarrazinFebruary 6, 2012OP124

This collection of four speeches warns against the increasing restrictions on free speech in a...

Freedom of Speech in the Constitution
Nicholas AroneyOctober 13, 1998PM40

In recent years, the decisions and methods of the High Court of Australia have been...

It’s judgment day: time for unis to kick politics off campus
Steven SchwartzJanuary 29, 2026THE AUSTRALIAN
The problem is not academic freedom itself. The problem is that universities have forgotten what...
Hanson’s burqa antics dodges hard questions on multiculturalism
Peter KurtiNovember 27, 2025AFR

Eight years after her first burqa stunt, Pauline Hanson pulled it out of the wardrobe...

Tolerance ends where darkest hatred begins
Peter KurtiNovember 12, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH

Tolerance is often treated as an unqualified virtue. But even virtues have limits. When men...

Lattouf judgment evidence of an ABC that has badly lost its way
Tom SwitzerJune 26, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Federal Court’s judgment in favour of journalist Antoinette Lattouf represents not just humiliation for...

When hatred finds a home in our institutions
Peter KurtiJune 12, 2025SPECTATOR

I recently watched the documentary October 8, a searing and distressing film about the aftermath...

When it feels like Australia is falling apart, hard truths can bring us back
Peter KurtiJune 12, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH

Faced with violent protests, rising antisemitism and growing cultural division, Australians are entitled to ask...

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Submission to the Senate Inquiry on Information Integrity
Michael StutchburySeptember 12, 2025

On behalf of the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), we are pleased to provide the...

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