Whatever happened to the idea of freedom of speech, of freedom to debate diverse political and ideological views? These should be the very hallmarks of a just and democratic society like Australia’s.
 
Since that is so, why has Roz Ward been suspended from her job at La Trobe University for doing no more than expressing a political opinion? Liberty Victoria, one of the nation’s leading civil liberties advocacy organisations, is shocked by this action.
 

When Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly receives Liberty Victoria’s Voltaire award in July he will share the spotlight with a blogger and free speech advocate who is in a cell in Saudi Arabia.

Raif Badawi is serving a 10 year sentence for providing an online platform for political dissent. He will receive Liberty Victoria’s inaugural "Empty Chair" award on Saturday 23 July 2016. 

The new award will go annually alongside the Voltaire award to a worthy recipient of the Voltaire who cannot attend the ceremony because of the consequences of free speech.

Fresh from his nomination for a Logie in next month’s awards, the commentator, academic, lawyer, presenter and rock musician Waleed Aly has been named as an Australian leader in free speech.

He will receive the Voltaire Award from the human rights group Liberty Victoria, given annually to the person or organisation making an outstanding contribution to free speech.

Announcing the award Liberty President George Georgiou SC said today: “There can be no doubting the clarity and the courage of Waleed Aly’s contributions to many areas crucial to public life in Australia.

Young Liberty for Law Reform, a program of one of Australia’s leading civil liberties organisations, Liberty Victoria, released a report today shining a light on a dark corner of our democracy. The report recommends fundamental and urgent changes to the laws that apply to whistleblowers in our immigration system, and calls on the Commonwealth Government to end a culture of secrecy.