John Roskam from the Institute of Public Affairs highlights the failures of the fourth estate to hold our politicians (and other institutions) to account.
Choices have consequences. It’s a simple message that sensible parents share with their children and that everyone will eventually learn for themselves.
In a sign of emotional immaturity, where a poor choice is made, some will seek to deflect blame onto others. They will rationalise and justify whatever they can to avoid responsibility themselves.
We have seen a stark example of that immaturity this week by some of those involved with the Australian National University (ANU).
ANU is our top rated tertiary institution that marks success by producing assorted leftists who perpetuate group-think and identity politics.
One young man I know lasted a single semester at ANU before transferring to a university that was less concerned with gender fluidity and other PC nonsense.
He commented to me that, “Every day at ANU entailed being drip-fed radical Kool-aid that was undermining the country and poisoning my mind”.
Now I know that is just one man’s personal experience but we all gained an amazing insight into the culture of ANU when – under leftist pressure – it back-flipped on hosting the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, despite winning the competitive tender for the initiative.
The Centre is funded by a massive bequest from the late philanthropist Paul Ramsay. With a $30 million annual budget, it provides scholarships and degrees to inform and advocate for the pillars of Western civilisation.
These are the very values and traditions that have underpinned our nationhood and make Western nations so attractive to those seeking a better life.
However, the advocacy of these values is too radical for the ANU, which rejected the centre. Unable to mount a credible rationale for the decision, the decision-makers chose to blame Tony Abbott.
That’s right, the leftists’ “in case of emergency break glass and blame Tony Abbott” defence was trotted out.
The former PM’s egregious sin – as a director of the Ramsay Centre – was to pen an essay stating that the Centre actually advocated for Western civilisation.
Imagine the horror of such a statement that proved to be a bridge too far for the ANU.
This esteemed taxpayer-funded institution will host a centre for Arab culture and Islamic studies but not for Western civilisation.
It will accept money from an Islamic theocracy and state sponsor of terror like Iran but won’t take a bequest from a wonderful Australian philanthropist.
It is a shameful indictment on the state of some of our tertiary indoctrination institutions.
Remarkably, the Australian government is closing the door to many students from attending some more balanced universities through penalties in their fee HELP program.
Students who choose to attend one of the four private universities cop an outrageous government ‘fee’ comprising 25% of their total student debt – that’s many thousands of dollars – for the ‘sin’ of studying outside the indoctrinating public university club.
This unjustifiable inequality removes the opportunity for many young men and women to access a university more intent on delivering quality education, practical skills and employability rather than thought-compliance and other ideological agendas.
It’s time to end this unjustifiable financial bias against our private universities. If the government needed any reason to act then the ANU has given them a perfect one.
Things that make you go Hmm…
Victoria is the home of hmm this week: the government tells you why to apologise to Aboriginal people and cleans up councils – as Shepparton soccer-mums slam theirs. A Bayswater footy club lands in hot water and Victorian cops blow their integrity. Jacqui Lambie shares her wisdom on the Joyce affair, NSW is still in a tangle over brumbies, things get feral in Gympie, Chinese trade is coming up oranges and Rudd is in the dock over pink batts.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
