But there’s a backup option

Some who heard Education Minister Clare’s speech last week at the Universities Australia conference hoped that the announced review of Australian Research Council governance will the end ministerial veto of ARC recommended research grants.

But in  a later interview with Michelle Grattan, he said, “Labor governments have never interfered to veto grants. The only exception I could ever imagine to that would be on the grounds of national security.”

Labor senators also saw the need for such an exception. In assessing a Greens bill to end ministerial veto  they suggested it should stay, “the ministerial veto contained in the ARC Act is a mechanism to facilitate the accountability of executive government.”

But they did recommend amending the council’s act to require a minister vetoing a grant to table “the reasons, evidence and advice” within 15 days. They also recommended a review of the “role and governance of the ARC to ensure its independence and prevent any—real or perceived—political interference,” (CMM March 22).

With a review announced it’s a fair bet both will be addressed in it