It may be a sin to hate people, at least from our Christian perspective, but what about institutions, is it justified to hate them? I think so; these socio-cultural entities are not people, but still have real causal powers and mind-control influence. I have in mind the universities, which I have been waging a lone man campaign against, arguing that much of the evil we face comes from them. Today at the blog, Australian immigration and the accommodation crisis were discussed, and the universities are implicated in this. Yesterday at the bog, economist Judith Sloan was quoted as also seeing the universities, with their greed for overseas student numbers, contributing to the problems of mass immigration. So, this is a real issue of public concern.
Thus, in this cultural context, I am not surprised to read of graduating students who staged a mass walkout during a university speech by former union boss Joe de Bruyn, after he criticised abortion, IVF laws and same-sex marriage, sacred cows. Now this critique was made at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). In response to the walkout, de Bruyn said the issues should have been relevant to Catholics, and nothing he said was inconsistent with Catholic doctrine, which is spot-on. Yet, the students were no different from to those in the secular universities. Only a few students did stay, and gave the speech a standing ovation. That is hopeful at least.But the majority walkout indicates the deep problems our culture has, as one would have thought there would have been more conservatives in that mob. You know, future leaders.
"Graduating students staged a mass walkout during a university speech by former union boss Joe de Bruyn after he starting railing against abortion, IVF laws and same-sex marriage.
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) was bestowing an honorary degree on the former national president of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employess Association during a graduation ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night.
According to people present at the event, Mr de Bruyn spoke about his union achievements for several minutes before veering into abortion, which he strongly opposes.
Student Charlie Panteli told ABC Radio Melbourne Mr de Bruyn's speech "took a hard-right turn" and took those present by surprise.
"He started talking about how abortion was wrong and he had a list of things he wanted to talk about and it was shocking," he said.
"I only heard abortions and IVF and I was one of the first to get up and I was quite far down the front and I started to signal I was going.
"It was the most selfish speech to give at a graduation. He did not reference us at all."
The ABC has obtained a transcript of Mr de Bruyn's speech, which was almost entirely concerned with abortion, IVF legislation and same-sex marriage.
In the speech, Mr de Bruyn claimed abortion was the "single biggest killer of human beings in the world" and referred to is as a "tragedy that must be ended".
He told the audience they may be faced with issues that are at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
"My experience is that many Catholics cave in to peer pressure. They think their professional lives will be harmed if they promote the teachings of the Church."
Mr Panteli said he estimated "95 per cent" of people left the auditorium as Mr de Bruyn continued to speak.
"I think the people sticking around were filming it because they were all so shocked that they thought the news should get out," he said.
"There was a sense of solidarity. We all got up and we all left, like we're not going to be a part of this."
Mr de Bruyn said he wanted to speak about topics that "tried to bring the teachings of the Catholic Church into play in the public debate".
"I would admit obviously that a majority walked out but some did stay and they gave me a standing ovation at the end of the speech," he said.
"I was surprised that at a Catholic university, when you are talking as a Catholic layman about how you have tried to inject the teachings of the Catholic Church into public debate that there would be such a response.
"If a person walked out because they disagreed with what I was saying, they were obviously disagreeing with the teachings of the Catholic Church because this is what I was conveying in my speech."
Mr de Bruyn said he had not been contacted by the university since he delivered his speech.
ACU asked De Bruyn to reconsider polarising speech, will refund graduation fees
A spokesperson for the university said Mr de Bruyn was given an honorary degree "in recognition of his dedication to the rights of workers, educational advancement, and improving social welfare".
The spokesperson said the university was aware Mr De Bruyn was planning to speak about polarising issues in his address.
They said he was asked "to reconsider a speech that was better aligned to the occasion and more directly celebrated the achievements of our students".
"We are deeply disappointed that the speech was not more befitting of a graduation ceremony," they said.
Mr de Bruyn defended his decision not to make changes to the speech, saying the university didn't specify which changes to make.
"They asked me to make some changes to the speech which were not precisely identified, and I thought about that, and I said to myself, 'They have asked me to give a graduation speech – so I am not going to be censored as to what I can and cannot say.'"
The university said it would offer graduates who attended the ceremony a refund of their graduation ticket fees and free and confidential counselling services would be available to those impacted.
"We do not censor our speakers but recognise that the content of Mr de Bruyn's address caused distress and offence to many in the audience," the spokesperson said.
"Mr de Bruyn's remarks at the ceremony were delivered in a personal capacity."
"While his views may not be shared by some of our staff and students, as a university we encourage the respectful exchange of ideas that represent the wide spectrum of our diverse community.
"Graduation is a special day and it's important to us that our graduates and their families have a positive experience.
"The university understands that many of our staff, graduates and their families disagreed with the content of Mr de Bruyn's speech and we regret that this occurred."
The university said it was committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for students and staff of all beliefs.
Mr Panteli said he was disappointed by the university's response.
"I would like them to apologise because this guy did hijack our day. His speech had nothing to do with anything really. It wasn't appropriate," he said.
"They market themselves as an inclusive business and then to support and give this person an honorary doctorate, I just think it's appalling and he should be stripped of that title."
Mr de Bruyn was national secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Union from 1978 to 2014 and has been a member of the Labor Party National Executive.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australian in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2022."