Academic staff are protesting the University of Sydney’s decision to award John Howard an honorary doctorate labelling it is “deeply scandalous and inappropriate”.

The former prime minister will receive the doctorate at a graduation ceremony on Friday as an acknowledgment of his achievements including “world-leading gun law reform, leadership in East Timor and contribution to Australia’s economic reform”.

A letter of protest has more than 100 signatures of staff and PHD students demanding an alternative graduation ceremony be put on for students who will have theirs “effectively ruined” by the honouring of Howard. Staff are also threatening to boycott the ceremony and protest outside instead.

“To confer a doctorate on him is an insult to Indigenous people, refugees, and anyone committed to multiculturalism, peace and social progress in this country and in the world,” the letter says and cites the Iraq war as a major reason for the protest.

Howard responded: “It is a free country – they are entitled to their view”.

Howard is an alumnus of the University of Sydney which has also conferred honorary doctorates on former prime ministers Robert Menzies, Gough Whitlam, Stanley Bruce and William Hughes.

One of the organisers of the protest, a senior lecturer in English and linguistics, Nick Reimer, said they were yet to get a response from the university and the honorary doctorate “flew in the face” of the values of the institution.

“Howard’s period in office exemplified the kind of prejudice and disregard for the social good which entirely goes against the mission of an institution like a university,” he said.



“... The idea that the university would honour him is deeply scandalous and inappropriate.”

Reimer said it was politicising the university to also allow Howard to give a speech at the graduation ceremony.

“It’s true that Howard was elected but part of the role of the university is precisely to constitute a kind of counter power and to call government and politicians to account, and the kind of craven courting of politicians, the opportunistic courting that university senior management regularly do throws all ethical, moral and intellectual standards to the wind,” he said.

A university spokeswoman said its senate had approved Howard’s conferral last December and Bob Hawke would receive an honorary doctorate later in the year.

She acknowledged the university was aware of the protest but did not directly address it.