One of Australia's most prominent anti-abortion campaigners, Joanna Howe, is suing her employer, claiming more than 200 complaints have been made about her views.
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complaints → sue → views
Dr Joanna Howe, a Professor of Law at Adelaide University, has attracted the support of several high-profile political figures in her anti-abortion campaign.
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Howe → attract → campaign
But she claimed this week her academic career is 'on the brink' and that she is suing the university for breaching her contract and the Fair Work Act.
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she → claim → contract
In court documents seen by The Advertiser, Dr Howe claimed she was told in November last year that a formal investigation had been launched into her advocacy following a complaint from an external party.
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investigation → see → party
She said 'allegations and sub-allegations [now] exceed 200' after complaints regarding remarks she made on abortion, Islam and 'gender ideology'.
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she → say → abortion
'Every single allegation relates to something I have said on a controversial topic, nothing relates to my research and nothing to my teaching,' she told the Advertiser.
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she → relate → Advertiser
Dr Howe said walking into Adelaide Law School had become increasingly challenging, that she had not been on campus since February and that fellow staff greeted her 'with stony faces'.
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staff → say → faces
'One colleague came out of the bathroom and, bizarrely, literally screamed in my face,' she added.
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she → come → face
Dr Howe alleges the university breached her employment contract and says the backlash over her views has taken a significant personal toll
Adelaide University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Joanne Fox said the institution was taking the matter 'very seriously'
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institution → allege → matter
Dr Howe said that she considered 'resigning quietly' and moving on to another chapter.
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she → say → chapter
'I worked so hard to get to the top of my career, only to be on the brink of losing it because I had the wrong opinion,' she said.
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she → work → opinion
She maintains her rights to academic freedom and free speech are protected by law and has vowed to take her fight to the High Court if necessary.
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rights → maintain → Court
'In my enterprise agreement and under federal law, I have a right to academic freedom and free speech,' she said.
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she → have → freedom
The Daily Mail has contacted the university for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Joanne Fox told The Advertiser that the institution was taking the matter 'very seriously'.
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institution → tell → matter
'The University has not been provided with any court documents and is unable to comment,' she said.
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she → provide → documents
The claim comes two years after a previous dispute between Dr Howe and the university in 2024, when she appealed to the Fair Work Commission over workplace measures imposed on her despite being cleared in six investigations.
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she → come → investigations
Dr Howe maintains her rights to academic freedom and free speech are protected by law and has vowed to take her fight to the High Court
The university later agreed to the commission's recommendation that she would not need to follow those measures and that no further action would be taken.
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action → maintain → measures
Dr Howe was in the spotlight in September after her husband, James Howe, criticised consent educator Chanel Contos and the government's $3.5million funding for her organisation, Teach Us Consent, in a video posted to social media.
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husband → criticise → media
In the video, the couple questioned Ms Contos's approach to consent education and her influence on government policy.
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couple → question → policy
Mr Howe called the 27-year-old a 'freak' and a 'disgusting person' while mocking her push for children to learn to seek permission before kissing someone or removing their clothes.
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children → call → clothes
Are you out of your mind?' Mr Howe said.
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Howe → say → mind
'Giving this chick, this teenager, control of censorship on social media and brainwashing children in schools.'
In the same video, Dr Howe accused Ms Contos of exaggerating the threat of sexual violence and argued men were not necessarily the ones to blame.
'She makes it sound like men are just like just waiting to rape you,' Dr Howe said.
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Howe → give → you
Dr Joanna Howe and her husband James sparked backlash after criticising consent educator Chanel Contos and $3.5 million in government funding for her organisation, Teach Us Consent
'
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Howe → spark → Consent
But if you get really drunk and you go into dark spaces and where you're alone and you don't know the man very well because you like met him on Tinder…'
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you → get → Tinder
Mr Howe interrupted and declared that consent was not something he believed he needed.
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he → interrupt → ?
I just don't, I don't do consent.
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I → do → consent
I don't, like, we don't do consent,' he said.
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he → do → consent
Before he could go any further, his wife warned him that someone could edit their video to make him 'sound really bad'.
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him → go → video
Mr Howe continued, saying: 'I don't give a s**t...
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I → continue → s**t
I don't…
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I → don't → ?
I do marriage, man.
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I → do → marriage
Like I don't I don't do consent.
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I → do → consent
It's just another fake solution waiting to fail.'
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It → wait → ?
The Daily Mail contacted Mr Howe at the time for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
The remarks sparked backlash, prompting Adelaide University Vice-Chancellor Nicola Phillips to issue a statement saying the university was 'aware of all of the recent commentary regarding consent'.
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university → spark → consent
She then added that the university did not comment on 'individual staff matters'.
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university → add → matters
The couple have five children and Mr Howe has increasingly appeared alongside his wife in videos discussing abortion, politics and social issues.
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Howe → have → abortion
Dr Howe holds a doctorate in law from the University of Oxford and joined the University of Adelaide as a lecturer in 2012.
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Howe → hold → 2012
She became a full-time law professor in 2023.
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She → become → 2023
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