MRC Report: Freedom of expression in schools of education and law

Freedom of expression in schools of education and law

Published: October 2026

In our June report on Freedom of Expression at Universities we used newly acquired data from the Department of Education to show that large percentages of domestic Australian students did not feel to express themselves on campus. In this report, we extend the analysis to professional studies in education and law, where the problems are even worse.

Government data show that freedom of expression is seriously threatened in schools of education and law—precisely the disciplines where the health of democracy depends on open debate.

Average levels of domestic undergraduate student freedom of expression across schools of education are only 70.3%. In other words, at the typical school of education in Australia nearly 30% of students do not agree with the statement “I am free to express my views at my university.”

Freedom of expression scores for domestic postgraduate students at schools of education are even worse, with an average across universities of just 67.0%.

The situation is hardly better at schools of law, though the law school data are much more variable. Freedom of expression scores for domestic undergraduate law students range from a low of 53.8% at the University of Tasmania to a high of 90.0% at Murdoch University. For domestic postgraduate students, they range from 51.2% at the University of Melbourne to 84.6% at Bond University.