A University of Wollongong postgraduate medical student has successfully challenged a ban from campus and electronic systems in the NSW Supreme Court. Justice Hament Dhanji found the university failed to follow its own misconduct procedure when it imposed the restrictions on Simon Carter.
The university placed a temporary block on Mr Carter's access in August 2025 after receiving complaints about his alleged behaviour. The Safe and Respectful Communities team alleged Mr Carter sent offensive emails, disobeyed directives, made vexatious claims, and engaged in sexist conduct in a Facebook chat group.
Justice Dhanji ruled that UOW invoked urgency provisions but did not refer the matter to the Student Conduct Committee within 10 days as required. He noted that while Mr Carter was on leave in late 2025, the block became acute when he sought to enrol for 2026.
The court found UOW lacked power to reimpose the urgency provisions in January 2026. Justice Dhanji also noted that substantiated allegations were preliminary findings made without Mr Carter's participation, despite his repeated requests for details to defend himself.
Justice Dhanji declared the decision to terminate Mr Carter's access invalid and ordered UOW to stop denying him access to campuses and IT systems. The ruling allows Mr Carter to enrol for the 2026 academic year.
