ANU’s shunning of Western centre ‘insane’, says Rob Stokes

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes says the ANU’s decision to dump the Ramsay Centre proposal is insane.

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes Picture: Jenny Evans

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes has described as “insane” a decision by the Australian Nat­ional University to withdraw from talks for the Ramsay Centre to fund a Western civilisation degree, saying he would urge Sydney universities to take up the course.

Mr Stokes told The Australian that he was concerned the decision by ANU was a sign of a lack of “diversity” at universities and he would do everything in his power to have the course in NSW.

The Weekend Australian revealed last week that ANU had withdrawn from negotiations under pressure from tertiary education unions, and that Ramsay Centre chairman, former prime minister John Howard, had complained to the university that the decision was “at odds” with earlier discussions welcoming the course.

The Victorian government ­refused to be drawn on the issue yesterday. However, the state’s opposition education spokesman, Tim Smith, said the ANU decision was “symbolic of everything that is wrong with tertiary education in Australia’’.

“The only diversity of opinion these academics tolerate is from the soft left to the hard left,” Mr Smith said. “The Ramsay Centre will make an important contribution to improving historical education. I hope the centre can look at a Victorian-based univer­sity as a new home.”

Urging NSW universities to take up the course, Mr Stokes said he had been bemused by the ANU reaction towards the Ramsay ­Centre.

“I think particularly in relation to humanities faculties that traditionally struggle for funding, it seems insane to turn down an ­opportunity for a highly regarded and academically rigorous ­approach just because it seems they don’t like the worldview ­behind the centre.

“It concerns me that our universities seem to be at risk of rushing headlong to the same point of difference.”

He said he would like the chance, as Education Minister, to work with the centre to find a home for its course in a NSW institution. “I can’t direct universities to take a centre … but my powers are those of persuasion … (and) this is a tremendous opportunity for young people,” he said.

“I might have personal views on what’s taught in different campuses but that doesn’t give me the right to design those ideas being discussed. We desperately need more diversity, not less of it.”

He noted there were already commercial relationships between universities and corporate bodies. “If it’s OK to have fairly commercial arrangements when it comes to the scientific environment, why’s it not OK to have a (relationship with a) centre in humanities?”

Victorian Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney declined to say whether she agreed with ANU’s decision to dump the course, or whether the Andrews government would encourage or endorse a decision by Victorian universities to partner with the Ramsay Centre. Deputy Premier James Merlino, who is Education Minister, also declined to comment, with a spokesman saying universities were free to choose for themselves. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham told Senate estimates earlier this week that “this is a significant bequest that could be of great benefit to Australian universities and I hope that one or more than one of them seize upon the opportunities this bequest creates”.