All changes made to the description and title of this division.

View division | Edit description

Change Division
senate vote 2018-06-25#9

Edited by mackay staff

on 2018-07-20 14:30:17

Title

  • Motions Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation
  • Motions - Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation - ANU's failure to host

Description

senate vote 2018-06-25#9

Edited by Luke Bacon

on 2018-06-27 13:23:04

Title

Description

  • <p class="speaker">Cory Bernardi</p>
  • <p>I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 871 standing in my name for today before asking that it be taken as a formal motion.</p>
  • <p>Leave granted.</p>
  • The majority of senators voted against Cory Bernardi’s (Australian Conservatives Senator for South Australia) motion:
  • > That the Senate—
  • >
  • > (a) notes the Australian National University’s (ANU) refusal to host the self-funded Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation on campus, notwithstanding that it already hosts centres promoting understanding of Islam and Asian cultures; and
  • >
  • > (b) calls upon:
  • >
  • > * (i) the ANU to reconsider its opposition to hosting the Centre in the interests of celebrating Western civilisation's foundational contributions to Australia,
  • > * (ii) the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham), given that he said it would be a “great loss” if no university partners with the Centre – to assist in securing a location for the Centre, and
  • > * (iii) the government to consider making future higher education funding grants conditional on supporting academic freedom and freedoms of association and speech on university campuses.
  • <p>I move the motion as amended:</p>
  • <p class="italic">That the Senate&#8212;</p>
  • <p class="italic">(a) notes the Australian National University&#8217;s (ANU) refusal to host the self-funded Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation on campus, notwithstanding that it already hosts centres promoting understanding of Islam and Asian cultures; and</p>
  • <p class="italic">(b) calls upon:</p>
  • <p class="italic">(i) the ANU to reconsider its opposition to hosting the Centre in the interests of celebrating Western civilisation's foundational contributions to Australia,</p>
  • <p class="italic">(ii) the Minister for Education and Training (Senator Birmingham), given that he said it would be a &#8220;great loss&#8221; if no university partners with the Centre – to assist in securing a location for the Centre, and</p>
  • <p class="italic">(iii) the government to consider making future higher education funding grants conditional on supporting academic freedom and freedoms of association and speech on university campuses.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">James McGrath</p>
  • <p>I seek leave to make a short statement.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p>
  • <p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">James McGrath</p>
  • <p>It is a matter for higher-education institutions and their councils as to what funding they choose to accept or reject. In doing so, they need to be accountable in making those decisions to their students and to the taxpayers who sustain them with record funding of over $17 billion a year.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Anthony Chisholm</p>
  • <p>I seek leave to make a short statement.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p>
  • <p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Anthony Chisholm</p>
  • <p>Labor does not support this motion. Labor believes that academic freedom is one of the foundations of western civilisation. This academic freedom should apply to any request or donation to a university, whether it comes from an individual country, philanthropic organisation or corporation.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p>
  • <p>The question is that general business notice of motion No. 871, as amended by Senator Bernardi, be agreed to.</p>