A Victory in Australia – His Holiness the Dala Lama to Speak in Sydney

By Reece Garrett and Palden Choeden / April 24, 2013;

The University of Sydney

Public outrage erupted in early April when the University of Sydney withdrew support for an educational talk that was to be included in the Dalai Lama’s 10-day visit to Sydney in June. However, after worldwide condemnation the University has changedits mind and decided to allow the talk to go ahead.

The visit was formally organised by the University’s New Institute of Democracy and Human Rights (IDHR) and it was planned that His Holiness would speak on the subject of why education matters, following which the students would be invited to ask him questions.

Some Australian and Tibetan politicians accused university officials of calling off the talk to avoid damaging ties with the Chinese government, which helps fund the Confucius Institute that is also housed at the University of Sydney. The incident surfaced when the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) obtained emails exchanged between the IDHR Director, Professor John Keane, and the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Michael Spence.

“It will be moved to an off-campus location, and no members of staff or associate of the IDHR will formally be involved in the organising that event,” wrote Professor Keane in an e-mail.
Professor Stuart Reese, who works at the University of Sydney and directs the Sydney Peace Foundation, remarked that “What has happened now raises the question of Human Rights in Tibet, Human Rights in China, freedom of speech across the University, indeed across Australia.”

In an about turn, on April 23, Professor John Keane, issued a public statement: “The Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (IDHR) at the University of Sydney and representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have agreed to host an on-campus lecture for students at the University of Sydney in mid-June 2013. This will be the first engagement of the Dalai Lama during his Australian tour.
The IDHR looks forward to hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama under the theme ‘Education Matters’.
The University of Sydney and IDHR remain firmly committed to the principle that academics are free to invite to our campus anyone who has a legitimate contribution to make to public debate.
It is hoped the mid-June event will form part of a determined commitment of the University of Sydney to develop a constructive dialogue on matters concerning Tibet and the wider region.”

The campaign to achieve this reversal of policy was led by Australia Tibet Council and co-ordinated internationally by Students for a Free Tibet.