Alannah MacTiernan says proposal to fund centre at the University of Western Australia came ‘directly from the prime minister’s office’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A research centre linked to controversial Danish academic Bjørn Lomborg was earmarked for the University of Western Australia through a “corrupt” process initiated by the prime minister’s office, parliament has been told.

Christopher Pyne vows to find new home for Bjørn Lomborg centre Read more

The university backed out of the proposal, which was to have been funded by the federal government, after protests by staff and students.

The West Australian Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan said on Tuesday that science has been the big loser under the Abbott government.

She said it was curious that the government had found $4m for the Australian Consensus Centre, a think tank which had at its heart a commitment to cherry-pick the scientific evidence which argued against urgent action on climate change.

MacTiernan said the education minister Christopher Pyne says the decision to fund the centre at UWA followed a proposal put forward by the university and Lomborg, but vice-chancellor Paul Johnson said the proposal was not initiated by the university.

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

The proposal arose out of discussions between Lomborg and the government, MacTiernan said.

“It seems the offer came directly from the prime minister’s office and came to UWA only after the Australian Catholic University had rejected it,” she said.

“Extraordinarily, this special research initiative didn’t come through the Australian Research Council or any peer review.”

It was a “corrupt process”, she said.