In this episode of Free to Speak, Dane is joined by University of Auckland academic David Cumin to unpack the free speech flashpoints that follow moments of national shock.

They start with the Adelaide Writers’ Festival controversy - where Palestinian activist Randa Abdel-Fattah was disinvited, sparking a mass boycott - and dig into what “principled” free speech looks like when the same institutions have previously sidelined pro-Israel voices.

From there, they examine how Australia rushed through new hate speech laws after the Bondi attack, why fast-tracked censorship powers often backfire, and how “hate speech” frameworks tend to become partisan tools rather than genuine protections.

The conversation ranges across hypocrisy, public funding and cultural gatekeeping, the unintended consequences of criminalising speech, and why open debate remains the best antidote to extremism - even when the views in question are ugly.

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This first “board roundup” episode focuses on a bigger pattern: regulators trying to extend their reach into online speech and private life.

The board unpacks the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s attempt to assert jurisdiction over internet live-streaming and podcasts (sparked by a complaint involving Sean Plunket), and what that would mean for alternative media and even ordinary people livestreaming online.

They then turn to The Telecommunications Amendment Bill they argue quietly expands interception and regulatory powers in ways that could undermine encryption and build “censorship-by-infrastructure” with weak oversight.

Finally, they discuss the Nursing Council’s proposed code of conduct and the Cath Simpson case as examples of professional regulators moving to punish lawful personal speech.

With: Jillaine Heather, Ani O'Brien, Douglas Brown & Stephen Franks

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Lawyer and Free Speech Union council member Douglas Brown joins the Free to Speak podcast to unpack the growing fight over who governs the internet - and why it matters for free expression in New Zealand.

Using InternetNZ and its recent board election as a case study, Douglas and host Dane Giraud trace how internet governance decisions (often quietly) shape what can and can’t be said online, and why Western democracies are increasingly flirting with restrictions - from platform regulation to debates over bans on services like X.

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https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech
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