ASPI director lashes 'clear interference' in think tank work
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More news: ASPI director Justin Bassi says putting government officials on his organisation’s council is “clear interference” in its decision-making.
Responding to the Varghese report’s release on Thursday, Bassi accused the government of undermining think tanks’ ability to deliver fearless and frank, which he said could now jeopardise their chance of future funding because grants would be put to tender.
Varghese recommended that the Commonwealth have oversight on the boards of organisations it granted funding to, and that the government and opposition each appoint two of ASPI’s board members. Bassi said attempts to interfere in the think tank’s internal decision-making process undermined “the principle of contestability” and were “clear breaches of [the] independence” ASPI needed to perform its work effectively.
He also took aim at Albanese for accepting Varghese’s recommendation to cut funding for ASPI’s Washington DC bureau, arguing the US think tank community is “full of people who have recently been in government or are likely to return to government in the near future”.
What they said: “Success for Australia in navigating Trump’s second administration will depend heavily on personal contacts and relationships, and also on spreading our national assets far and wide to insure ourselves against tunnel vision and groupthink … Mr Varghese in his review seems to be dismissing the value of track two engagement entirely,” Bassi said.
Labor wants permanent say on ASPI board appointments
The news: Labor wants a permanent say on appointments to the Australia Strategic Policy Institute’s (ASPI) board even out of government, and to scrap funding for its office in Washington DC.
The context: A long-awaited review into Commonwealth funding for national security think tanks, conducted by former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Peter Varghese, was released on Thursday and found output from the sector was “overall mixed” and delivered 14 recommendations to improve its performance.
The government’s response, announced simultaneously, accepted eight in full, three in principle and noted the other three.
Its response described the government having observer status on think tank boards as “at a minimum … appropriate” where the Commonwealth provides funding.
Many of Varghese’s recommendations were specific to ASPI, bolstering perceptions the review was designed with it in mind.
As confirmed by Capital Brief on Thursday, the government backed Varghese’s call for Commonwealth funding for ASPI’s Washington office to be scrapped at the end of the financial year, saying: “Influencing foreign government policy in Australia’s interests is best done through a single voice … principally the Australian Embassy”.
In June 2021, ASPI received $5 million funding from the Department of Defence to provide operational support to establish the ASPI office in Washington DC over two financial years. The office opened on 13 July 2022 and ASPI drew down on the first $2.5 million during 2022–23.
It also agreed “in principle” that ASPI’s board needs an overhaul, with two members appointed by the defence minister and another two by the opposition leader of the day. That would ensure that Labor had a foothold in ASPI’s governing body even when out of government. ASPI’s council would nominate three other members, while continuing to appoint the executive director in consultation with the defence minister.
Varghese’s call for a five-year funding cycle, and for funding for four think tanks to be extended until it begins in 2027, was “noted” by the government. Instead, it backed five-year funding cycles “where appropriate” and said all contract extensions would be “considered in the context of the fiscal environment”.
The government also agreed that the Secretaries Committee on National Security (SCNS) — which includes the bosses of Defence, DFAT, Home Affairs and the security agencies — would also set the priorities for research annually.
Think Tanks focused on national security receive roughly $40 million in Commonwealth funding each year.
What they said: “Australia does not have a strong tradition of subjecting policy development to rigorous external scrutiny, and external engagement tends to be more in the nature of stakeholder management than actively searching out new or different policy perspectives,” Varghese wrote.
The sources: Varghese review, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Transparency Portal
