The aaDH condemns the Minister’s interference in peer-review research funding processes

The Australasian Association for Digital Humanities (aaDH) adds its voice in condemning the actions of the former Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham, in intervening in the arms-length process of determining research funding.

Political interference in the work of the Australian Research Council (ARC) undermines confidence in the peer review process, and slows the progress of innovative research across all disciplines. Furthermore, the fact that the decisions targeted arts and humanities, in a climate where sections of the media repeatedly voice their opposition to what are perceived to be ‘obscure,’ ‘arty,’ or ‘politically correct’ areas of research raises questions about the degree to which such decisions are based on ideology and populist pressure over subject-matter expertise and academic rigour. These questions are made more troubling in this case where the funding in question was withdrawn rather than being reallocated, a punitive procedure and an attack on the process which led to the ARC’s decisions.

aaDH calls on the Morrison government to restore the vetoed humanities funding, and to make a commitment to open, transparent, expert-led processes for determining future funding. While reversing these decisions will do little to address the disruption to professional and personal progress already caused by Simon Birmingham’s interference in the academic process, the full funding of the rejected grants and an acknowledgement of the detrimental impact of these decisions on those affected is the first step toward restoring confidence in the ARC process now and into the future.