ATTACK ON WORKPLACE RELATIONS STUDY PART OF A BROADER GOVERNMENT ASSAULT ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM
MEDIA RELEASE
3 October 2007
The attack on academics responsible for a study on the impact of WorkChoices and the Sydney University research centre that produced it, is part of a broader assault on academic freedom, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said on Wednesday.
Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President, said:
“The Federal Government’s attack on the reputation of the report’s authors and the Sydney University research centre that produced it is part of a much broader assault on academic freedom that has taken place under this Government.”
“This includes the vilification of the authors of past studies critical of the Government’s workplace relations policies, interference in the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) independent grant funding process, and the impact of the anti-terror laws. The latter has forced at least one researcher to scale back research to avoid contravening laws making it an offence to ‘associate’ with terrorists.”
“The attempt by Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey to demean the report’s authors because of their links to the union movement and his comments that the Workplace Research Centre at Sydney University is “not known for its academic rigour”, are the responses of an increasingly arrogant Government more comfortable resorting to smear than debating the issues.”
“We defend the right of universities and the academics who work in them to undertake independent research to inform the public without fear or favour.”
“We call on the peak body representing universities, Universities Australia, and the Vice Chancellor of Sydney University, to join in condemning the Government’s unwarranted political interference.”
“Not only are the researchers behind the report eminent academics in their field but they are attached to a research centre that is renowned internationally for its research outcomes in the areas of work, industrial relations and the social impacts of employment patterns.”
“To effectively accuse the academics concerned of politicising their study only highlights the Minister’s ignorance of the rigorous standards that apply to research, within universities as well as the approval processes of the ARC, which helped fund the study.”
For information and comment:
Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President: 03 9254 1910 or 0419 349 064