Former prime minister John Howard defended the Ramsay Centre’s actions in the funding controversy with ANU, at a packed Blackheath Philosophy Forum on Saturday.
“There had been an agreement reached on the curriculum,” Mr Howard, the chairman of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, said.
“In neither case was academic freedom denied. There was rebellion in the ranks and the ANU [Australian National University] decided to pull out.”
In June ANU decided to cancel an earlier plan to permit the Ramsay Centre to establish a course at the university on Western Civilisation.
ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt had said the Ramsay Centre wanted “unprecedented influence” as part of the deal.
Mr Howard was hopeful discussions with Sydney University would be more successful.
Unless a society understands where it has come from … we can’t appreciate the society in which we live.
- John Howard
“At the moment we are in discussion with Sydney Uni and I hope that will be fruitful,” he told the crowd of about 250 people.
“The purpose is not to parade Western civilisation in a triumphant sense … The proposition is that unless a society understands where it has come from … we can’t appreciate the society in which we live.”
Speaker Ted Sadler argued our culture was turning its back on the past and religion, in favour of material values.
“Society has moved towards a hedonistic-materialistic system,” he said.
He likened multiculturalism to “when one does not have a culture. It’s all inclusive but nothing in particular.”
Speaker John Stephenson wondered how the course, which he said would involve a small teacher-student ratio, would be incorporated into the university without suggestions of elitism.
He also said all civilisations should be studied.
“We should be teaching Western civilisation along with all civilisations. If you have confidence in your culture, let it be studied with all cultures.”
The Blackheath Philosophy Forum has been running a series of talks on Western civilisation and Mr Howard’s older brother Bob, who is on the forum committee, arranged for his brother to speak.