So how do you know for sure that it is the university doing the brainwashing?
I can tell by the way their arguments are structured, verbiage and terminology they use. Stuff that sounds like it came from a textbook.
Who brainwashed the people before university?
mainstream media, pop culture, influential musicians/actors and potentially small-time musicians who play at local music festivals, other brainwashed social media influencers, advertising, professional activists, their peer group, teachers, etc.
Are all university lecturers in on this? Or is it what they believe?
It's what they believe.
Are lecturers only hired in Australia if they are already brainwashed, meaning they will brainwash others?
In activist disciplines, yes.
If someone isn't entirely across a complicated and nuanced situation, they are a brainwashed 'lefty'?
If they're espousing left wing ideology, then yes.
What was the main point you took issue with, and how did you disagree?
I disagreed by showing them evidence from a number of different sources/people that was contrary to what they believed. They called my research faulty and claimed I had no idea how to do research because I hadn't been to university. I challenged them to do the research for themselves and they would find out exactly what I was trying to tell them. They declined. Basically their argument was "I have a university degree and you don't, so you're not entitled to question my beliefs."