In the Senate last month, Labor and the Democrats, backed by the Universities Vice-Chancellors Committee and others in the sector, combined to pass amendments restoring this power to initiate inquiries. Kemp said no, claiming it was enough that the ARC could ask him to direct them to inquire. Kemp thus keeps control of the debate, and avoids any possible embarrassment. Again with the backing of researchers and universities, Labor and the Democrats demanded that the if the Minister rejected an ARC recommendation for a research grant, he must table in Parliament his reasons for so doing as soon as possible. Kemp said no to that, too.
Cronyism can live.
This veto power without reasons is anathema to researchers, who are desperate that their research proposals are decided on scientific merit alone. Professor Sue Serjeantson of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Studies gave evidence to a Senate committee on what can go wrong if ministers make decisions against professional scientific advice. She referred to the British government's inquiry into mad cow disease, which found that public confidence in the chief medical officer and in scientific advisory bodies had been put at risk by ministers' misuse of power for political purposes. The government has even rejected an amendment which would require Kemp to table any directions or requests for advice he makes to the ARC in parliament within 15 days, a standard accountability mechanism to the Parliament, representing the people. Under Kemp's plan, he would have power to make commercial research companies eligible for funding.