Sydney: 2025 James Merralls Fellowship in Law Lecture

The Case for Cancelling Cancel Culture

Cancel culture is the antithesis of reasoned, structured persuasion.

Unlike legal argument, and unlike traditional academic discourse, it seeks to traduce rather than to debate. It is a substantially modern phenomenon which infiltrates and undermines public and academic discussion and learning.

Cancel culture is not merely immature but infantile; it eschews rationality in favour of the mentality of the mob, using modern technology to do so. In contrast to historical punishments like ostracism and exile, it proceeds in an uncontrolled way, and often mistakes mere allegation for proved guilt.

It is fundamentally corrosive and ought to have no place in academic or public life.

About the presenter

Sue Chrysanthou SC is a leading defamation barrister whose practice also includes intellectual property matters, inquiries, breach of confidence and privacy disputes. She was called to the bar in 2004 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2020.

She actively participates in law reform and frequently speaks about issues relating to defamation, freedom of speech, open justice, privacy and the media. Sue has acted in a number of key cases for plaintiffs and defendants including Rush v Nationwide News, Hanson-Young v Leyonhjelm, Herron v HarperCollins, Schiff v Nine, Lehrmann v Wilkinson and Deeming v Pesutto.

James Merralls Fellowship in Law Lecture

This lecture is named in honour of the late James Merralls AM KC, an alumnus of Melbourne Law School, who graduated LLB (Hons) in 1958. Mr. Merralls was a resident tutor in law at Trinity College between 1958 and 1972 and was Dean of the College in 1967 and 1968. Mr. Merralls made an enormous contribution to the Australian legal profession over the course of his career. In addition to an illustrious practice at the Victorian Bar, Mr. Merralls was a reporter for the Commonwealth Law Reports between 1960 and 1969 and was the editor from 1969 to 2016. He was publicly commended for his contribution to the Australian legal profession by many of our leading practitioners and judges, including successive Chief Justices of the High Court of Australia. The Australian legal profession owes a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Merralls.

This lecture is a collaboration between the Victorian Bar and Melbourne Law School.

The Victorian Bar is the professional association representing more than 2200 barristers in Victoria. The Bar’s home is in the Courts precinct of Melbourne in the Owen Dixon Chambers, surrounded by chambers in other buildings. The Bar is a busy, thriving community comprising barristers, clerks, and support staff.