The University of Queensland is opening negotiations with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, submitting an expression of interest.

The university says it’s EoI is, “clear that any potential partnership would need to align with our longstanding principles of institutional autonomy and intellectual freedom and would be governed by our standard policies and procedures. These are critical matters for the university.”

The university adds the EoI is subject to a confidentially agreement. “Should our negotiations progress beyond this, the university will consult with staff and students,” it adds.

The campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union yesterday welcomed “assurances up-front on university autonomy and academic freedom,” and the university’s commitment to considering any partnership proposal through normal university processes. “The VC can rely on UQ staff to give any proposals very careful scrutiny, branch president Andrew Bonnell said.

However, he added, that reports of why Ramsay-ANU negotiations stopped rang “alarm-bells”, and that there are “very difficult academic questions about integrating such a programme into a modern, globally-oriented humanities curriculum in a research university.