Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been urged to call an "emergency meeting" after the Trump administration pulled funding from seven universities there. In addition to concerns with how universities responded to questionnaires, the bigger question has been why such foreign universities are being funded in the first place.
Recently, Australian universities were sent a questionnaire of 30 questions asking Australian researchers to justify why they should continue to receive American research grants. Key questions included whether they had received funding from China, if the university recognized that there are only two sexes. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) concerns were also mentioned.
According to Sky News, the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Technology Sydney, University of NSW, Charles Darwin University, Macquarie University, and UNSW had their funding cut.
As is the case here at home in the United States with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), funding should have to be justified. This is especially the case not merely because these are foreign universities fortunate enough to receive American funds, but because there are concerns such as whether they're also receiving funding from China, and if these universities recognize that there are only two sexes, male and female. It was a Day One executive order for President Donald Trump to make clear that the federal government only acknowledges the two sexes.
