By Situation Theatre 5/12/2018
Researchers will have free rein to explore Library sources but must avoid Internet searches such as “false intelligence” and “civilian deaths in Iraq”.
In late October this year it was revealed that former Education Minister Simon Birmingham blocked $4 million in research grants for humanities projects. Soon after current Education Minister Dan Tehan announced a new ‘national interest’ test to make sure any government funded research was in line with the Liberal Party’s ever narrowing worldview.
Now that the Howard Library has officially opened at Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Government has gone a step further. The only two criteria for approval of research funding will be “Does this project in any way promote the extraordinary legacy of John Winston Howard?” and “Will the research exclusively use sources provided by the Howard Library?”
Already approved research projects include “Howard on Gun Control: Hero or Lionheart?”, “The GST Wizardry of Australia’s Greatest PM” and “Lazarus Reborn: Howard As The Jesus Of Economic Growth”.
Blacklisted topics include pork-barrelling, children overboard, WorkChoices, fabricating the case for war in Iraq, dead Iraqi children, Cornelia Rau, Vivian Alvarez Solon, Muhamed Haneef, and the AWB scandal.