Via the ABC comes the CCP’s leading university in Australia learning from its masters:
An alleged victim of suspended university student Drew Pavlou has rejected suggestions he felt threatened by the anti-Chinese Government activist, and says a complaint involving him was “manufactured”, in an email produced by Mr Pavlou’s lawyers.
The revelation came as the University of Queensland (UQ) senate prepared to convene on Friday to review Mr Pavlou’s two-year suspension, after the university’s chancellor Peter Varghese expressed concern at the severity of the punishment.
As well as his anti-Chinese Communist Party protests, one of the 11 allegations against Mr Pavlou in the 186-page dossier of complaint alleges students felt “harassed, bullied, threatened or abused” by a foul-mouthed social media exchange on his private Facebook account.
However, one of those students — who asked not to be identified — emailed Mr Pavlou’s lawyer Tony Morris QC, saying:
“To my knowledge two of the people involved in the exchange did not make formal complaints to UQ – and I certainly have not.
“Apparently the complaint mentions that I was ‘distressed’ which is from my point of view laughable.
“While I think it was characteristically crass of him to write to a female friend the way he did I feel this complaint has been largely manufactured.”
The email forms part of an appeal lodged with the University of Queensland by Mr Morris, who said the university’s failure to contact the student was a further breach of fairness.
“One can only speculate as to how many more of the witnesses named in the charges against Mr Pavlou would have provided similar comments if they had been contacted and interviewed,” Mr Morris wrote.
UQ has been contacted for comment on the allegation, but previously declined to comment on matters that could be raised during the appeal.
A closed disciplinary hearing considered whether Drew Pavlou breached the university’s code of conduct, mainly stemming from his activism on campus against the Chinese Communist Party.
UQ denies Mr Pavlou’s suspension is a free speech issue, and argues it has taken action to ensure a safe environment on campus.
UQ wants ‘murky process’, Drew Pavlou says
Mr Pavlou, a 20-year-old philosophy student, is a representative on the UQ senate, which will review the penalty imposed by a disciplinary panel comprised of two academic staff and an international student.
However, Mr Pavlou has been told he cannot attend or receive minutes because his appeal makes it a conflict of interest.
He said a behind-closed-doors review on a Friday afternoon, with a decision to be posted online on Friday night, further obscured scrutiny of the process.
“I don’t understand why, as a democratically elected representative of UQ students on the senate, I’m being barred from this meeting,” he said.
“They are taking all these steps to ensure there is as murky a process as possible, that the Australian public does not know how they are making these decisions.”
The university senate manager said UQ vice-chancellor Peter Hoj, who was referenced in the complaints against Mr Pavlou, would also not attend the meeting or receive minutes because of conflict of interest concerns.
Mr Pavlou has alleged the main reason for the action against him is his protests against the government of China.
The University of Queensland receives 20 per cent of its revenue from Chinese students.
Call a royal commission now.
