Tell UniMelb & St Vincent's: Uncancel Prof MacDonald, Resist Zionist Lobby

One of Australia's top cardiologists, Professor Peter Macdonald, was due to deliver the prestigious John Clarebrough Memorial Lecture at the University of Melbourne Surgical Forum on 20 July. His invitation has now been withdrawn following pressure from the Zionist lobby over comments he made in a private capacity about Israel last year.

This decision deprives medical students, junior doctors and health professionals of the chance to learn. It sends a chilling message to healthcare workers, researchers and academics that speaking on issues of public interest—even in a personal capacity—may put your career at risk.

Universities and teaching ...

One of Australia's top cardiologists, Professor Peter Macdonald, was due to deliver the prestigious John Clarebrough Memorial Lecture at the University of Melbourne Surgical Forum on 20 July. His invitation has now been withdrawn following pressure from the Zionist lobby over comments he made in a private capacity about Israel last year.

This decision deprives medical students, junior doctors and health professionals of the chance to learn. It sends a chilling message to healthcare workers, researchers and academics that speaking on issues of public interest—even in a personal capacity—may put your career at risk.

Universities and teaching hospitals should uphold academic freedom—not bend to political pressure. Hospitals and healthcare workers continue to be targeted in Gaza. Healthcare workers must be free to speak publicly about humanitarian crises without fear.

Call on the University of Melbourne and St Vincent's Hospital to:

Reinstate Professor Peter Macdonald's invitation and apologise for withdrawing it
Reaffirm their commitment to academic freedom
Ensure future decisions are transparent & free from external political pressure.

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Email Melbourne Uni & St Vincent's

Email Melbourne Uni & St Vincent's Hospital urging them to reinstate Prof Macdonald's invite to deliver the John Clarebrough Memorial Lecture.

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Dear University of Melbourne and St Vincent's Hospital

I am deeply disappointed by your decision to withdraw Professor Peter Macdonald's invitation to deliver the John Clarebrough Memorial Lecture at the University of Melbourne Surgical Forum on 20 July due to pressure from the Zionist lobby.

Professor Macdonald is one of Australia's most distinguished cardiologists. His pioneering work has helped save countless lives, and his expertise is exactly why he was invited to deliver this prestigious lecture. By cancelling his appearance, it is not Professor Macdonald who bears the greatest loss—it is the medical students, junior doctors and health professionals who have been denied the opportunity to learn from one of Australia's leading clinicians.

What makes this decision particularly troubling is the lack of procedural fairness. Reports indicate that Professor Macdonald was not given an opportunity to respond to concerns raised about remarks he made in a private capacity about Israel before his invitation was withdrawn. Decisions of this significance should not be made without affording the person concerned a fair opportunity to respond.

Last year, he was on forced leave from St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney for seven weeks due to these same remarks before the complaint against him by doctors associated with the Australian Zionist Healthcare Alliance ( AZHA) was dismissed following an independent investigation.  It beggars belief that these allegations should again be sufficient to deny him the opportunity to teach.

Universities and teaching hospitals have a responsibility to defend academic freedom, intellectual inquiry and due process. If invitations to leading experts can be withdrawn because of external political pressure or anticipated controversy, a dangerous precedent is created. The message sent to doctors, researchers and academics is unmistakable: speaking publicly on contentious issues may jeopardise your career, even if your professional conduct is beyond reproach.

That chilling effect extends far beyond Professor Macdonald. It risks discouraging health professionals from speaking publicly about issues of enormous public importance, including the genocide in Gaza during which Israel has deliberately destroyed Gaza’s health system and targetted health workers.

At a time when healthcare workers around the world should be able to advocate for the protection of healthcare systems, Australian institutions should be defending—not discouraging—the right of medical professionals to participate in public debate.

I respectfully urge you to:

-Apologise to Professor Macdonald and reverse the decision to withdraw his invitation to deliver the John Clarebrough Memorial Lecture.

-Reaffirm your commitment to procedural fairness and ensure future decisions affecting invited speakers are made transparently and with an opportunity to respond.

-Publicly reaffirm your commitment to academic freedom and the right of staff and invite experts to engage in lawful political expression in their personal capacity.

-Ensure institutional decisions remain independent of external political and lobbyist pressure.

Medical students deserve to learn from Australia's best clinicians. Universities should foster open inquiry, not restrict it.

I urge you to reverse this decision.

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