Macquarie University makes an embarrassing backflip on its controversial requirement for all law students

Australia’s ‘wokest university’ has backed down on a controversial decision to mark law students on how well they perform a Welcome to Country.

While Sydney’s Macquarie University has scrapped the ceremony from its marking criteria, the institution maintains it was an ‘authentic, professional skill relevant to contemporary legal practice.

The university spent weeks defending the criteria for its ‘Age and the Law’ unit after students revealed a Welcome to Country was part of their oral exam, which accounted for 30 per cent of the final course mark.

The rules stipulated that a student would fail if they didn’t present an Acknowledgement or Welcome to Country or ‘did so in a way that was inappropriate or did not comply with the instructions’.

To get a high distinction of 85 per cent or more, the Acknowledgement of Country had to be ‘a brief, thoughtful, exceptionally well-written, culturally respectful acknowledgement of country or welcome to country at the beginning of the presentation’.

Macquarie University has since found it was ‘not appropriate’ to mark students on the task following a ‘thorough review’.

‘An acknowledgement of country will not form part of the assessment task in question in future offerings of the unit LAWS5005,’ a statement read.

Macquarie University will no longer grade its law students on their performance of a Welcome to Country

Macquarie University (pictured) law students had to perform a Welcome to Country as part of their course, which which accounted for 30 per cent of their final mark

‘The unit convener has advised students that they are able to opt out of the acknowledgement of country and that students will not fail the unit, nor will their grades be adversely affected, should they decide to do so.

‘The university’s standard practice of unit moderation will ensure this is the case.’

Macquarie previously defended the assessment as being relevant to the specific task and overall learning outcomes.

‘This unit addresses Indigenous young people and their relationship with the legal system in Australia.,’ a spokesperson said at the time.

The university maintains acknowledgement ceremonies are ‘commonly employed across the sector, including in law firms, government agencies and legal reform submissions’.

It also remains ‘deeply committed to academic freedom and respectful debate, where diverse ideas and knowledge can be explored in a spirit of curiosity, open-mindedness and progress’.

‘The Macquarie Law School has taken immediate action to address the issues raised by one student and to make future improvements,’ a spokesperson told The Australian.

‘These actions conform with the university’s ongoing assessment strategy and commitment to authentic, well-aligned assessment tasks that are relevant and empowering for our students.’

Macquarie University (students pictured) maintains acknowledgement ceremonies are ‘commonly employed across the sector, including in law firms, government agencies and legal reform submissions’

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Macquarie University for further comment.

The backflip comes after Indigenous leaders previously slammed the Acknowledgement to Country exam as ‘pure indoctrination.’

‘The whole concept of welcome to country is a reinvention of culture,’ Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said.

‘The fact that it is being imposed upon university students in their education institutions, especially when it’s being implanted into courses that actually don’t have anything to do with Indigenous culture or history or anything like that; this is pure indoctrination. It’s not education.

‘Australians are fed up with being made to feel like they are guests in their own country.’

Indigenous businessman Warren Mundine also described it as indoctrination ‘by a group of fanaticists’.

‘It’s a dangerous step … what has that got to do with the actual course?’ he said.

Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (pictured) previously described the assessment as ‘pure indoctrination.’

The university also recently scrapped its divisive and mandatory ‘Manawari’ course that labelled non-Indigenous students ‘visitors’ and ‘settlers’.

The controversial module made headlines when a student revealed she was required to take the class which called her a guest in Australia – despite being born and raised here.

Macquarie vice-chancellor Bruce Dowton was summoned to the NSW Parliament over the saga, where he admitted that errors had been made. 

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