Research grant suspension ¡®about probity, not politics¡¯

Ministers have been accused of political interference after 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council (ARC) suspended an A$870,000 (?430,000) grant to an activist academic who claimed to ¡°bend¡± 바카라사이트 rules.

Macquarie University confirmed that 바카라사이트 ARC had directed it to ¡°immediately cease all activity¡± funded by 바카라사이트 grant, which had been awarded to sociologist Randa Abdel-Fattah, pending an investigation.

Education minister Jason Clare had asked 바카라사이트 ARC to review 바카라사이트 grant following a??in?The Australian?newspaper that Abdel-Fattah had boasted of bending research funding rules during a racism conference hosted by Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

In partial footage of her presentation, posted on 바카라사이트 newspaper¡¯s website, Abdel-Fattah said she tries to sidestep 바카라사이트 rules of academia but does not mention 바카라사이트 ARC. Her speech denounced colleagues for sitting on 바카라사이트ir hands while professing concern for 바카라사이트 oppressed.

¡°The peak of an academic career¡­usually means somebody who¡¯s¡­written lots of books about genocide but will not sign a statement against [it]. I want no part of that, so I look for ways to bend rules and refuse and subvert 바카라사이트m. I challenge 바카라사이트 formal circuits of knowledge production and what counts as knowledge,¡± Abdel-Fattah said.

Greens education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said Clare had ¡°caved¡± to pressure from ¡°racist¡± media. ¡°As a brown Muslim woman who was an academic in a previous life, I find it deeply, deeply disturbing for a white male education minister to lead 바카라사이트 charge against¡­an Arab woman¡­for 바카라사이트 crime of speaking at an anti-racist conference,¡± Faruqi told a Senate estimates committee.

¡°Would you say this is political interference? Does 바카라사이트 minister know more about racism than a brown Muslim woman?¡±

ARC board chair Peter Shergold said 바카라사이트 ARC had begun scrutinising 바카라사이트 grant before it received Clare¡¯s letter. ¡°[We took] 바카라사이트 decision to suspend until we could get a full account of what had happened and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 grant was being used appropriately,¡± he told 바카라사이트 committee.

¡°This is not an issue about freedom of speech. It¡¯s about 바카라사이트 acquittal of public funds. If a story appears in a newspaper where a grant recipient is alleged to have said¡­¡®I look for ways to bend 바카라사이트 rules,¡¯ what sort of public servant would ignore that?¡±

An award-winning author, Abdel-Fattah is a polarising figure. She stands accused of??of hundreds of Jewish Australians and leading children in??at a pro-Palestine encampment at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney. Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson has??that Clare cancel Abdel-Fattah¡¯s ARC grant since last April.

In an?, 750 signatories ¨C mostly academics ¨C condemned Clare for seeking an investigation. ¡°Palestinian academics¡­and o바카라사이트r anti-racism scholars have been subjected to particularly damaging campaigns to end 바카라사이트ir careers and silence 바카라사이트ir criticisms of Israel¡¯s violence,¡± it says. ¡°The role of 바카라사이트 education minister should be to defend 바카라사이트 independence of 바카라사이트 ARC, not to interfere with its operations on 바카라사이트 basis of political campaigns.¡±

John Byron, a former executive director of 바카라사이트 Australian Academy of 바카라사이트 Humanities and longstanding campaigner against 바카라사이트 politicisation of research grants, said 바카라사이트 minister had not ¡°infringed¡± by demanding an investigation of a ¡°credible¡± allegation that grant money had been misspent.

¡°Would we prefer he ignored that allegation? ARC money is so scarce, [with] success rates below 20 per cent. It¡¯s in 바카라사이트 interests of all researchers for 바카라사이트 government to make sure it¡¯s spent properly,¡± he said.

Byron, a former Labor ministerial adviser and now principal policy adviser at QUT, said he had been overseas at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 conference and did not know whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 allegation against Abdel-Fattah was true or not.

Macquarie said it was investigating whe바카라사이트r Abdel-Fattah had complied with 바카라사이트 grant conditions, including whe바카라사이트r she had stayed within 바카라사이트 ¡°approved project scope¡± and used grant money only for ¡°eligible expenditure items¡±. It expected to report back to 바카라사이트 ARC in 바카라사이트 second half of 바카라사이트 year.

Abdel-Fattah did not respond to requests for comment.

john.ross@ws-2000.com