From Nature News, 10 March 2022:
Researchers in Australia have endorsed a proposal to remove government ministers’ power to veto grant-funding decisions made by expert science committees. They say this veto ability is just one example of Australia’s political overreach in research, and is a threat to academic freedom.
Legislators in Australia are considering whether to amend a law to remove the minister for education’s right to veto projects recommended for grants by one of the country’s major research-funding agencies, the Australian Research Council (ARC). The proposed amendment is part of a Parliamentary inquiry into political interference in research funding.
Acting education minister Stuart Robert vetoed six ARC projects in December, sparking outrage in the research community and prompting the inquiry. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 