Opposition analysis of Australian Research Council (ARC) grants has raised serious questions about the merit of some of the successful projects.
The ARC’s stated purpose is to “grow knowledge and innovation for the benefit of the Australian community through funding the highest quality research, assessing the quality, engagement and impact of research...”
Notwithstanding this objective, over $20 million of taxpayer money has been awarded to academics for research such as “identifying the causes of gender bias in the staged English-language translations of ancient Greek tragedy” and challenging the “protectionist myth" that Australia is in fact an island continent.
These examples are just two of more than 20 projects identified by the Opposition as lacking any clear benefit to the Australian community.
Opposition waste spokesman, James Stevens, questioned whether these projects furthered the ARC’s objective, saying “the Australian Research Council exists to fund research that addresses real-world problems, not fund frivolous academic indulgences.
“Committing almost half a million dollars to challenge the fact that Australia is an island continent is farcical.
“The same fund that is supporting important research into extreme weather events, space exploration and human brain function, has also allocated $3.7 million to explore ‘innovative musical approaches’ to ‘multispecies justice’. It is utterly absurd.
“These academic thought bubbles could not be further removed from the challenges of everyday Australians who are struggling to pay their household bills.
“Australians know our country is an island. What they don’t know is why the Albanese Government thinks we need to spend half a million dollars to challenge it,” Mr Stevens said.
