Jack Thrower
Research economist

The US, which is Australia’s biggest research partner, gives money to projects that are hugely important

The Trump administration is now trying to leverage this funding to impose its extreme views. Australian universities have been quizzed on things such as whether a project “defend[s] against gender ideology”, is “a climate … project” (because it’s now ‘woke’ to believe in climate change), or includes “DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] elements”. Some funding has already been cut from at least six universities.

So far, the Albanese Government has taken the same hands-off approach to problems in universities that federal governments have taken for decades. The federal government provides substantial funding to universities, but most regulation is left to the states, which have mostly also not taken responsibility. This has created a general governance crisis in the sector.

In 2023, the Government declined an invitation to join the European Union’s $163 billion research and innovation fund, potentially due to cost concerns, which would have diversified Australia’s research partnerships. Domestic funding isn’t enough because Australian governments have also not invested enough in higher education; Australia’s direct public spending on Research and Development is among the lowest in the OECD. In response to Trump’s ‘woke ideology’ questionnaire “Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom … are very deliberately” not responding, but Australia’s universities are apparently being told they “should probably respond” to it, so far there is no evidence of a coordinated response from the federal government.

The university sector is in desperate need of accountability and responsibility, it’s time for the federal government to take this role. It could start by implementing a range of reforms recommended by the Australia Institute.