The balance between academic freedom and freedom of expression and safety has been difficult to achieve in relation to protests, particularly the ‘tension between having psychologically safe environments and allowing free speech.’ 91 Professor Genevieve Bell, Vice Chancellor of ANU explained some of these tensions and limits of current policies: We have also found that the limits of legislation, our own rules, how freedom of speech arose as a set of rights and as a set of policy settings— and you’re right from the French review—manifests itself is often attributed to an individual’s act. But the notion of how someone experiences that can be a collective thing, and the tension at law between a rule and a legislation that adheres to an individual, and notions about harm—which are often collective—don’t harmonise well. 92 Consultations with academics also raised questions about the way safety is interpreted and balanced against academic freedom, with suggestions that the ‘language of safety has been weaponised’ in some instances. Universities face the challenge of fostering a respectful learning environment while also permitting some discomfort in engaging with difficult ideas. This issue is especially noticeable when teaching critical race theory and similar topics, and links to a lack of racial literacy. Academics also described limits to their academic freedom, with prevailing institutional and cultural norms impacting their ability to speak freely. First Nations and other negatively racialised academics reported needing to moderate their views at times, aware of the risk of being ‘cancelled’ or other negative career ramifications. A First Nations academic describes the experience, ‘you’re on this tightrope of making change, but also making sure the rope doesn’t swing out too far.’ 93 3.10 Challenges of finding a common language and definitions The Study is dedicated to prioritising lived experiences, being inclusive to understand the wide range of experiences and not rushing to settle on definitions without thorough consultation and collaboration. The National Survey is specifically designed to measure all experiences of racism, irrespective of how they fit within definitions of racial discrimination. Different definitions and terminology surrounding racism, antisemitism and related concepts were common themes during the consultations. The definition of antisemitism has been a focus of attention through the Inquiry and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. Views about the definition of antisemitism were articulated by consultation participants to the Commission. 52