Academics say Nelson vetoes were censorship

[apothecary]

This article glosses over the glaring fact that Brendon Nleson was the first education minister to ever use their post to reject research projects that don't "tow the party line".

Fuck him.

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/academ...3618796855.html

THREE academics at the Australian National University have evidence that the former education minister Brendan Nelson stopped their research projects from being funded even after their grant proposals had been approved by the Australian Research Council.

The vice-chancellor of ANU, Ian Chubb, has accused the Federal Government of censoring legitimate inquiry after it emerged that academics in the areas of social sciences and Asia and Pacific studies may have been prevented from conducting research for political reasons.

The Australian Research Council, which approves grants for a fifth of the 4000 applications for research funding every year, recently sent letters to academics whose grant proposals were vetoed by Dr Nelson, in 2004 and 2005, telling them their personal information was the subject of a freedom of information request.

Dr Nelson put a stop to about nine grants that the council had approved over that two years but the authors have never been told.

An RMIT University researcher in academic freedom, Sharon Andrews, asked the council under freedom of information laws for the authors' identities, but the council is still fighting to keep them secret.

Professor Chubb, who heads Australia's top-ranked research university, said, "This is a national, competitive and rigorous peer-driven review process. Such evaluation is a fundamental and respected element in the review of grant applications … Censorship of legitimate inquiry, by any means and for any purpose, surely must be unacceptable."

Professor Chubb's comments come after confirmations by a University of Adelaide politics professor, Tim Doyle, and a University of Western Sydney senior lecturer in media and communications, Lindsay Barrett, that they also received letters saying they were affected by Ms Andrews's request.

Professor Doyle wanted to investigate the influence of non-government organisations on the environmental agendas of foreign countries, and Dr Barrett was researching the way politicians managed the media in five political scandals, including the "children overboard" affair.

Dr Nelson declined to comment yesterday.

The national president of the National Tertiary Education Union, Carolyn Allport, said, "The current election provides an appropriate opportunity for the political parties to reaffirm their commitment to the independence of the ARC, and support a robust process of peer review that is at arm's length from political considerations."

[Sparkster]

from wiki

"After the 2001 federal election he was promoted directly to Cabinet with the senior portfolio of Minister for Education, Science and Training. In this portfolio he has introduced a series of radical changes to Australia's higher education system, simultaneously imposing more direct government control over the management of universities while also allowing them to earn more revenue by charging higher fees to students"

Since then hes been moved by Howard to the "higher" profile of Defence. Its beyond me how degenerates like Nelson get portfolios that arn't even relevant to them. Maybe if there was a portfolio of being a useless douchebag then he would fit in as minister.

Can't wait til Howard and his cohorts are out.