ISAA expresses its concern at the action of the government in December 2021, in rejecting six ARC research grants although the grants had already been approved by the Australian Research Council. ISAA notes that the rejected grants were all in the humanities. 

There has been no proper explanation of the government’s action, nor was there when similar actions against approved ARC grants occurred in 2017 under Minister Simon Birmingham, and in 2005 under Minister Brendan Nelson. Beyond a shallow, slogan-based response, governments have not felt obliged to be accountable for their actions in matters of research support. There has been, it seems, strong political and ideological aspects to these government actions.

See attached PDF for the full letter.