The right to free speech for Public Servants around Australia has been adopted by the national organisation for defending peoples’ rights, Civil Liberties Australia (CLA).
Tasmanian Director of CLA, Rajan Venkataraman said the organisation was concerned by the growing trend for corporations, public services and others to impose restrictions on the freedom of employees to express themselves and speak out about matters that concern them — even on issues that had nothing to do with their employment.
“The trend is for organisations to impose restrictions in the name of their ‘social media policy’ or to ‘protect their brand image’,” Mr Venkataraman, himself a former Public Servant, said.
“CLA believes all Australians have a right to free speech and their right to express their opinions openly.”
He gave examples of the problems restrictions caused, including a Commonwealth Public Servant who was dismissed for criticising the Government’s policies on asylum seekers, saying that issue was now before the High Court.
In addition a sports reporter for SBS, was sacked for comments he made on Twitter about Anzac Day, a case which has since been settled.
“The problem with settlements, inevitably involving confidentiality clauses, is that no-one becomes any the wiser as to where lie the boundaries on public comment,” Mr Venkataraman said.
He said CLA was equally concerned about the thousands of people who every day decided to keep silent.
“In fear of losing their jobs, they choose not to express themselves on social media, or attend public forums, or write letters to the editor of their local newspapers, or write to Ministers or their local MPs about matters that concern them,” Mr Venkataraman said.
“They are rendered speechless by their organisation’s anti-free speech policies.”
He said freedom of speech was not absolute as it might be restricted to the extent necessary to protect the rights of others.
“But over and above these laws, companies, Government Departments and other organisations impose highly restrictive rules about what their workers may say”, he said.
“In other words, any restriction on freedom of expression imposed by corporations, Government Departments and other organisations, hurts not just the individual employee, it undermines our entire democratic system, in effect, all of us,” Mr Venkataraman said.
The full text of Mr Venkataraman’s comments can be accessed on the CLA website at this PS News link.
