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When I moved from the ABC to academia I found one of the measurable pluses was the apparent freedom to express opinions and publish independent research without the threat of political interference from the Federal Government.

The Howard Government nobbled, harassed, intimidated, threatened and demonised the ABC and its journalists in an effort to limit damaging critique and analysis. Compliance was tied to funding and complaints procedures were abused as the ABC was bashed with the ‘Left-wing bias’ stick which damaged the National Broadcaster’s editorial independence. (See Posetti 2002; Posetti 2005) But the longer I spend in academia the more I realise it’s become just as big a target for Howard’s cultural revolution as the ABC.

The attack launched by the government this week on respected researchers from the University of Sydney’s Workplace Research Centre (WRC) provides an interesting case study on political interference in academia. The research team lead by Dr John Buchanan is undertaking a five-year study on the impact of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA’s) on the earning capacity of individuals. AWA’s were introduced in 1996 by the Howard Government as a foundational pillar of industrial reform designed to marginalise trade unions. Under the government’s controversial ‘Workchoices’ policy, AWA’s have become ubiquitous as collective bargaining has been further undermined. And, according to the WRC research, the poorest workers have been the worst affected with a ‘take it or leave it’ approach to minimum wages and conditions characterising ‘negotiations’ between employers and individuals.

The research is part of a five year study 'Australia@Work' funded to the tune of 50% by the Federal Government through the Australian Research Council (ARC) - the country’s top and most competitive academic research fund. The project was signed off by Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop but Mr Hockey has sought to undermine the the ARC's credibility in relation to the study's approval "I'm not sure that this institution is known for academic rigour but even occasionally the Government gets it wrong on where it spends its money...", he told the Sydney Morning Herald. The other half of the funding came from Unions NSW (Aside: how did that collaboration slip through the Federal Government filter? No wonder they’re p’d off!)

Findings from phase one of the study reveal that individuals on AWA’s in the new system earn on average $106 less per week than their counterparts on collective agreements. With a federal election only weeks away and polling suggesting the government’s (mis)management of the industrial relations system will be a key determinant, Howard and co. were less than amused with this revelation and immediately employed ‘Plan B’ – discredit the message and demonise the messengers.

Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey led the attack, accusing Dr Buchanan and his co-researcher, Dr Van Wonrooy of being "former trade union officials who are parading as academics". The Prime Minister joined the attack, as did his Deputy and wannabe PM, Peter Costello, who described the research as ‘contaminated’. Such attacks go to the heart of academic credibility and professional standing so it’s no surprise the researchers are now threatening to sue Mr Hockey for defamation.

The government’s attack is founded on the false premise that the academics have prematurely released the findings in an effort to influence the outcoime of the federal election. "You have to look at their motives and sure enough you can identify what their real intentions are", Mr Hockey told reporters. But as any academic knows, progressive reporting and publishing of findings are standard procedures in long-running research projects.

Similarly dodgy is the claim that the researchers are former trade union officials. In his 25 year academic career, Dr Buchanan has only ever spent four weeks in the employ of a trade union - during a secondment. And, Dr Wonrooy who has ‘admitted’ to undertaking research as part of an ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions)study, actually began her career working for the Howard Government’s Department of Industrial Relations. Ah, the irony.

The other big furphy is the government’s insistence that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures prove that workers on AWA’s are actually better off. Wrong. The ABS has confirmed that it hasn’t undertaken any research on the impact of AWA’s under ‘Workchoices’. Nevertheless, the Minister’s spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald “We think the ABS figures are a more reliable guide than a study cooked up by John Buchanan and his cronies”.

Hockey admitted under tough questioning from the 730 Report’s Kerry O’Brien that the government may have been seeking to cherry-pick the study but today he was recalcitrant, insisting the research was a politically motivated beat-up. So, it looks like Mr Hockey can look forward to a date with the academics in court.

This case of academic interference highlights the growing problem of political intervention in research. For example, Mark Wooden from the Melbourne Institute told the SMH that government departments often try to tie funding to favourable research outcomes. "Working for the government, they don't always let you say what you want to say," he said. "They edit and direct your reports all the time and if you don't toe the line you don't get paid."

I am also aware of another case of departmental interference in academic research which resulted in a line of inquiry potentially damaging to a federal minister being blocked by a bureaucrat because “you can’t expect to take money from the department and be critical of the minister”. So much for academic independence.    [read more]