Education minister and Lomborg say ‘Australia consensus centre’ will go ahead in a new home after WA university handed back $4m in funding

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Australia’s education minister, Christopher Pyne, has vowed to find another university to host the Bjorn Lomborg “consensus centre” and is seeking legal advice about a decision by the University of Western Australia (UWA) to hand back $4m in federal government funding awarded for it.

UWA handed back the funding and dropped its connection with Lomborg, saying that lack of support among its academics made the centre untenable.

Lomborg said he remained committed to setting up the Australia consensus centre because his research was “far too important to let fall victim to toxic politics” and “grossly misinformed attacks”.

“I am disappointed that the University of Western Australia (UWA) will not be a part of this effort,” he said. “The UWA vice chancellor found himself in an impossible position when the centre was used as a political football. The facts about Australia consensus have been drowned out.

“Australia consensus would have put the University of Western Australia at the forefront of global research efforts to improve the use of aid spending. It is deeply disappointing that UWA has lost this opportunity because of toxic politics, ad hominen attacks, and premature judgment.

In a statement emailed to UWA staff and then published online late on Friday, UWA vice chancellor, Paul Johnson, said that strong opposition to the centre had put the university in a difficult position.

“Therefore, it is with great regret and disappointment that I have formed the view that the events of the past few weeks places the centre in an untenable position as it lacks the support needed across the university and the broader academic community to meet its contractual obligations and deliver value for money for Australian taxpayers,” he said.

Johnson said that the planned Australian consensus centre, which would have been linked to Lomborg’s Copenhagen consensus centre, would have done important work, but “unfortunately, that work cannot happen here”.

“I have today spoken to the federal government and Bjørn Lomborg advising them of the barriers that currently exist to the creation of the Centre and the University’s decision to cancel the contract and return the money to the government,” he said.

Pyne accused the UWA academics of “shouting down” views with which they disagreed.

“We are disappointed that the university has indicated it cannot effectively deliver against the contract and is seeking to return $4 million in research funds. The Government is awaiting legal advice on the status of the contract,” Pyne said after the university’s announcement.

“The government is committed to establishing the consensus methodology in Australia and to ensuring a wide range of views on issues are aired publicly. An Australian consensus centre will be established in an alternative location.

“It is surprising that individuals at an institution of higher learning claiming to embrace the notion of academic and intellectual freedom would display intolerance and shout down a voice in the debate they simply don’t agree with,” Pyne said through a spokesman.

“A society which thrives on debate and a diversity of views should be a priority for all regardless of how fervently they oppose those views.”

The Guardian reported last month that the Abbott government had given UWA $4m to fund the centre, which would have covered about a third of the costs. A spokesman for the federal education minister, Christopher Pyne, said at the time that the centre had sprung out of discussions between the university and Lomborg, but it has since been revealed that the push came from the prime minister’s office.

Bjørn Lomborg centre: government approached us, says University of WA Read more

UWA academics have been vocal in their opposition to the centre and demanded that the university sever its contract with the federal government or risk jeopardising its international reputation.

Rachel Siewert, Greens senator for WA and a UWA alumnus, told Guardian Australia that she was relieved the university had responded to pressure from its academics.

“I can now be proud of my university again,” she said.

Lizzy O’Shea, president of the UWA student guild, told Guardian Australia she was feeling “a mix of shock, awe and relief” over the decision.

“I don’t think anyone expected the decision to be reversed,” O’Shea said. “We are really happy that the university has listened and I think it has already gone a long way – just in an hour, there are already a lot of comments on social media – to repairing the damage to the relationship between the academics and the VC [vice chancellor].”