‘Cultural Safety’ Must Not Trump Speech Rights And Qualified Care For Patients

This afternoon the Free Speech Union has submitted in response to the Minister of Health’s public consultation on modernising workforce regulation. Regulation should support clinical excellence, true inclusivity fostered through intellectual diversity, and open dialogue. With thoughtful implementation, it’s possible to protect practitioners’ and patients’ individual rights while advancing equity in healthcare, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

“These aims are only possible with respect for speech rights. We support the Government's aim of modernising health workforce regulation to improve access to timely, quality healthcare for all New Zealanders, but we emphasise the critical need to safeguard freedom of expression and viewpoint diversity throughout this process.

“Practitioners face increasing overreach from regulators that threatens to undermine not only their individual liberties, but the important contribution dissent, debate, and the contest of ideas play in our healthcare sector.

“Concerns in our submission specifically focus on cultural competency mandates, regulatory board composition, public consultation mechanisms, and regulatory focus priorities. To address these concerns regarding freedom of expression and viewpoint diversity, we recommend promoting voluntary cultural competence, ensuring balanced regulatory boards that include free speech advocates, establishing transparent and genuinely open consultation processes, and prioritising clinical safety based on objective standards.

“Ideological litmus tests do not make patients or staff ‘culturally safe’ – it narrows the bounds of open discourse and in the long-term impoverishes debate, creates blind spots and forbidden subjects, and makes us less safe. The work of healthcare professionals is too important to sacrifice to political sensibilities.”

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