The Silent Voice of Youth
Youth Censorship or Freedom of Speech activism: A dive into self-expression in University.
Orientation Week 2025: Supplied by Selin Duran
“The next generation has always been and will be better than the previous one. If it is not, then the world would not be moving forward”
- Kapil Dev
In our dynamic society, not all opinions are shared, and not all values are consistent. Yet young people are at the forefront of all movements. They are the reason why attitudes change, and behaviours reflect current social trends. Young people are the future, and university is a place that fosters individual growth. Or so we think.
University is a place where students unite to socialise, share ideas, and educate themselves. An important part of education is also being able to express yourself in ways that align with your beliefs, values and morals. Whether this is done through student-led protests, clubs or publishing platforms, university is a place where students can do it all; it's a part of “uni life”. But do universities genuinely support student voices, or are their reputations too important to maintain?
Every year, student writers, editors, and publishers from all over Monash University clubs produce content to be distributed throughout the year. This content ranges from creative works that can be published on LotsWife Magazine to student life and culture at Esperanto. It could take a more journalistic approach, with Radio Monash examining society and music, and Mojo News tackling major news stories. All of these publications are a reflection of student voices and are written with the intention of self-expression. However, in the process of actually publishing work, the content needs to adhere to Monash's Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom Policy.
This policy provides the framework for all published works. Any content written or otherwise must be produced with the intent of upholding the “Duty to foster the well-being of staff and students”. Which means that content must remain lawful and ensure staff and students aren’t subject to threatening or intimidating behaviour. This includes content that may be interpreted as sexist, racist or homophobic. While it may seem obvious that Monash media outlets or Monash University do not tolerate any and every form of prejudice and discrimination, it doesn’t explain why topics such as global and national politics face censorship.
The 2025 Australian Federal Election was a highly anticipated event. For many university students, it was their first time voting in an election, and experiencing the extreme media coverage that comes with an election. It was also an opportunity to jump on the reporting bandwagon for many students and explore the different possibilities of the election outcome.
However, finding a place to publish this content left many students unable to voice their perspective and ultimately censored.
A student reporter from Mojo News said that “[it was] a shame that you can’t talk about major parties without getting a lawsuit”, and there is a “major difference between defamation and expressing an opinion”. The aim of writing stories about the election isn’t to tarnish the university's integrity. It acts in a way to allow students to make informed decisions about politics. Especially when these political topics are in relation to the economy and the future of tertiary education.
Although Mojo News continued to publish content about the Federal Election, it remained unbiased and free from any personal opinion to ensure that it not only upheld news integrity but also Monash values. Despite Mojo News being an independent student publication with a Charter of Independence, which states that although MOJO does have the freedom to publish a wider range of content, it must still not conflict with Monash's integrity, the students saw major discrepancies when wanting to publish content against mainstream values. This difficulty in having open discussions about a variety of topics further exacerbates the notion that young people are feeling silenced throughout their university experience.
Similarly, LotsWife Magazine is a platform where students can write about campus life, analysis, culture and creative features. While their themes are open for interpretation and require no “certain agenda” as LotsWife Editors say.
The publication “allows the space to write creatively and not necessarily politically.”
Students are encouraged to tackle topics that are meaningful to them, even if they are controversial. However, this doesn’t translate to being able to openly talk about the Federal Election on this platform. The only mention of the election is through a few articles that show an unbiased stance on what the Federal Election means for students.
While this isn’t a criticism of Mojo News or LotsWife, the lack of political expression raises an interesting argument in relation to the Monash Code of Conduct. The Monash commitment to students outlined in the Code of Conduct section 1.3 says that ‘Monash University aims to empower students…where [they] are included in an academic culture of inquiry and debate, enabling students to challenge and be challenged by ideas…’. However, through the lack of individual opinion or political “debate” found within these publishing outlets, is Monash University allowing for these topics to be discussed on a grander scale?
As long as articles adhere to Monash's Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom Policy, they should, in theory, be acceptable to publish. Yet these articles are pulled from circulation and hidden.
Artistic censorship was also seen earlier this year when Monash University postponed Khaled Sabsabi’s art installation. The exhibition entitled Stolon Press: Flat Earth features a mix of artistic, linguistic and materialistic liberty that converge and embody human connection and collaboration. However, the exhibition postponement was made weeks after Sabsabi was removed as the Australian Representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale. While it wasn’t clear exactly why this exhibition was postponed by Monash University, the fear of political backlash was a factor that led to the postponement. As a response, staff and students united to express major concerns about this artistic censorship with the Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts, Penelope Benton, even saying that “[it’s] a devastating blow to artistic and academic freedom”.
On the 22nd of May, a Monash Spokesperson released a statement saying that the Flat Earth exhibition will be set to open on the 29th of May to the 12th of July 2025. This statement came as a result of “community consultation” that led the university to “consider a range of perspectives prior to the exhibition”
Whilst it was a collective effort to reopen the exhibition, it questions the integrity of the university’s values to postpone the exhibition to begin with. Ironically going against the Code of Conduct section 1.3 to “provide an excellent educational experience” that Monash University advocates for.
In a similar position, political conversations in relation to the Federal Election can be attributed to section 2.6 in the Code of Conduct, where “diverse perspectives are valued… and respectfully acknowledging differences of opinion or perspectives” yet these conversations are often shut down for involving “student politics”.
Youth voices hold power within universities, but this looming fear of writing/producing content that could possibly go against the Monash Code of Conduct and Freedom of Speech prevents students from expressing themselves fully. The self-censorship of tertiary institutions is also harming academic integrity and resulting in an unwelcoming environment.
Yet the question remains: is this issue student-based, or is it time to take a deep dive into the integrity of Monash University's values?
References
1. Adams, R., & editor, R. A. E. (2024, February 27). Universities must overcome “echo chamber” and self-censorship, says Reading VC. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/feb/27/universities-must-overcome-echo-chamber-and-self-censorship-says-reading-vc
2. Cain, S., & Haydar, N. (2025, March 26). Khaled Sabsabi show cancelled one month after sacking from Venice Biennale. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/mar/26/khaled-sabsabi-monash-university-show-cancelled-venice-biennale-ntwnfb
3. Monash University statement on the Stolon Press: Flat earth exhibition. (2025, May 22). Monash University. https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/monash-university-statement-on-the-stolon-press-flat-earth-exhibition
4. Stolon Press: Flat earth. (2025). Monash University Museum of Art. https://www.monash.edu/muma/exhibitions/upcoming/upcoming/stolon-press-flat-earth