Deported from the Immigration Panel: when the Democracy Society invites a controversial speaker

Written by: Jasmine Cook

Content Warning: This story includes quotation and discussion of racist statements and attitudes. 

On the 25th of March, ANU’s Democracy Society extended an invitation to Prof. Drew Fraser, known for his controversial views on non-white immigration, to join an expert panel discussing ‘Australia’s Immigration Policy’. 

Fraser, a former Macquarie University professor has previously espoused beliefs that Chinese and Muslim immigration are a threat to the ‘anglo-homeland’ and argued for a return to the ‘White Australia Policy’. 

The event, which was ultimately cancelled, prompted an ANUSA counter-protest outside of the Copland Theatre which was advertised through social media. ANUSA banners read “No Place for White Australia Policy”. In contrast to the strong counter-protest, the Democracy Society, which is self-described as “a frontier for free speech”, has remained notably silent since.  

The Democracy Society’s history of events suggests it aims to provide a space for non-partisan discussion of political issues. Accordingly, their events feature a variety of experts from across the political spectrum. 

The Democracy Society also extended invitations to Brendan Coates, a contributor to ‘The Conversation’, and Alan Gamlen, a current professor at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance, to join the panel. Both these panellists have relevant expertise in immigration. 

Despite Fraser’s academic background in law, his comments on immigration extend beyond his area of professional expertise. As a representative from Macquarie University pointed out following Fraser’s controversial remarks in 2005 to the Sydney Morning Herald, “This is not Drew Fraser’s area of teaching or research…it’s not his area of specialisation, it’s not his research, it’s not what he’s employed to teach.”

Fraser’s eligibility to contribute to the panel thus may not be seen as wholly academic. Fraser’s articles have consistently appeared in white nationalist publications and websites, including the Occidental Observer and Ironbark resources, some of which appear to have been removed from the internet due to backlash. 

ANUSA Clubs Officer Seungbin Kang expressed there were serious reservations about Fraser’s inclusion on the panel, citing “strong concerns for such a speaker to be empowered with a voice to speak on a panel regarding immigration, and particularly for how this will affect our marginalised BIPOC, International and Indigenous communities.” 

Kang disclosed that ANUSA met with Democracy Society leadership to outline these concerns, but claimed this discussion was “not fruitful”. Consequently, the rally was organised “after all other means [of] internal governance were exhausted’. 

ANU Democracy Society did not respond to repeated requests for comment on their decision to invite Drew Fraser. 

The Former Democracy Society secretary claimed that “members of the executive were not made completely aware of the nature of the event, in particular Prof. Fraser’s view on non-white immigration”. 

He further stated that he believes these executive members have since resigned. However, the ANU Democracy Society did not respond to repeated requests to confirm this directly.  

Some students may have seen the post on ANU Confessions, asking “What happened to the event that got cancelled by ANUSA?” However, ANUSA has denied this level of involvement. Instead it seems the event was independently cancelled by the Democracy Society, potentially in response to backlash such as the ANUSA counter-protest. 

The invitation of Drew Fraser and controversial speakers like him raises questions about the balance between a club’s ability to operate independently and engage in open discussions, and the amount of oversight necessary from ANUSA to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students. 

According to Clubs Officer Kang, “This is certainly quite uncharted territory for how ANUSA addresses harmful behaviour for clubs. However, ANUSA believes that one of the strongest strengths of our clubs programme compared to those across Australia is the ability for clubs to operate at a largely independent level.” 

It remains to be seen whether the controversy surrounding Drew Fraser’s invitation will prompt clubs to reconsider what people and which views they choose to platform. 

In the midst of an extremely public debate on the place of advocacy on campus, Observer reflects on ANUSA’s role in this space. Following the AGM and ANUSA bringing their support of the Encampment for Palestine to a formal vote, the question as to the level of oversight required by the student union is begging to be asked. 

However, given the context of this immigration panel, ironically the question of who gets in and who doesn’t takes on a whole new meaning. 

Graphics by: Annisa Zatalini 

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