Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called today's approval of the Ramsay Centre by the University of Wollongong 'outrageous' and a slap in the face for students and academics. The Univeristy has today bypassed its own academic senate and approved the centre. Senator Faruqi is a former academic.
Senator Faruqi said:
"This is an outrageous move by the university and a real slap in the face for students and academics who have real and legitimate concerns about the Ramsay Centre.
"The lengths the University of Wollongong will go to in order to bypass their academic review processes are quite extraordinary and deeply worrying. This sends a message that any organisation with a big enough cheque book can buy extraordinary influence over our universities.
"The Ramsay Centre wants nothing more than to churn out students with an uncritical view of Western Civilisation, and they're willing to bribe our public universities with huge amounts money to make that happen," she concluded.
