The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia has deep concerns about the current risks to critical research infrastructure that underpins the work of Australia’s social science and humanities workforce, and which allows us to answer nationally important questions and provide expert advice to decision-makers about the complex challenges and opportunities facing Australia.
This erosion of social science research and education capacity, and future capability, is the result of structural changes and management decisions in many Australian universities.
In particular, the Academy is concerned about proposed cuts to the infrastructure provided by the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) and closure of the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC); both housed at the Australian National University (ANU).
As Australia’s national university, the ANU has since its inception received a special allocation of taxpayer money in the form of a National Institutes Grant – currently over $200 million per annum, and totalling billions of dollars over the past 79 years – to enable the university’s national mission of “supporting the development of Australia’s national unity and identity”, among other objectives.
The ADB and ANDC exemplify this mission and the purpose of the National Institutes Grant. They serve not just the university, but the nation. Their loss or depletion in pursuit of modest financial savings would significantly diminish Australia’s research capability in these areas to the long-term detriment of all Australians.
The Academy calls on the ANU to reconsider its proposal with respect to these programs, in light of their importance to Australia as well as the university’s own role and unique funding allocation in support of such capabilities.
The Academy also urges the Australian Government to work closely with the ANU to ensure the continued operation of these vital national assets, in line with the intent of the National Institutes Grant and Australia’s broader interests. If a resolution cannot be reached, we suggest that the Australian Government may need to revisit the historical allocation of this taxpayer funded grant.
At a time when national investment in evidence-informed policy and interdisciplinary collaboration is more important than ever, we call on decision-makers to recognise the profound public value of the ADB and ANDC.
The Academy stands with our colleagues in the broader research community in urging the protection of Australia’s research infrastructure, and in recognising that the social sciences and humanities are integral to a resilient, informed, and democratic nation.
Why do these centres matter?
The Australian Dictionary of Biography is the largest national repository of biographical information on notable Australian politicians, artists, businesspeople and scientists, and Indigenous leaders, among others, with a curated collection of over 14,000 entries that are accessed millions of times each year by historians, educators, and the public. The ADB has been hosted at the ANU since its inception in 1966.
The Australian National Dictionary Centre has since 1988 provided a unique record of Australian English as it has evolved over the decades and contributed essential insights into how language reflects our national identity and social change. Along with its research focus and extended networks with the research community, the Centre runs public engagement programs on new and unusual words, it produces several versions of the Australian Oxford English Dictionary and provides specific dictionary and thesaurus products for Australian schools. It is a unique project with no equivalent in Australia or internationally. Closure would mean the loss of the Dictionary, developed over 40 years of nationally funded research.
These and other national social, economic and cultural assets have been built over decades of public investment, and allow experts to preserve and interpret our past, to track our evolving language and culture, and provide new understanding and insights related to history, language, society and economic development in Australia and across our region and the world. The benefits of such infrastructure, and of the expertise that surround it, extend well beyond the educational and curatorial sectors: they underpin the informed life of the Australian community.