Melbourne barred from medical funding for lauding ‘six white men’

Australia’s largest philanthropic donor to medical researchers has dumped the country’s top-ranked university from its marquee grants scheme over the “unacceptable” lack of diversity in the institution’s honorary doctorate awards.

Snow Medical said it had taken the “difficult decision” to suspend the University of Melbourne from its Snow Fellowship programme “as the university’s outcomes on gender equality and diversity do not align with [our] values”.

The move follows Melbourne’s conferral of honorary doctorates to “six white men” including former Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford and former competition watchdog head Allan Fels.

A photo of the six recipients in red gowns and black graduation hats, published by the university in late February, was widely derided on social media.

“In the last three years, not a single honorary doctorate has been awarded to women or someone of non-white descent,” Snow Medical said in a statement. It said it had “sought an explanation” and Melbourne’s response had been unsatisfactory. “We would have preferred not to have taken this step, but now is the time for action – not just talk.”

It said Melbourne would be suspended from the programme, which had allocated A$16 million (£8.9 million) to two of its researchers last year, until it “has demonstrated better outcomes”. The university’s existing Snow Fellowships will be honoured, it added.

Melbourne said it had also intended to confer honorary doctorates on three women and an indigenous man in the February ceremony, but they had been unable to attend “for a variety of reasons” and their honorary doctorates would be conferred “at a later date”.

Tom Snow, who chairs the Snow Medical board, said he had been “very upset” by the photograph. “That sends a message to every woman and non-white person in Australia that no matter how hard you work, men will be rewarded ahead of you.

“This is a university that has all the policies about gender equality, the cream of the cream university. But clearly no one thought, ‘Let’s hold off this ceremony’. I could be wrong, but my view is that they would have deferred it if the white men couldn’t make it.

“In the last three years, they haven’t awarded a single [honorary doctorate] to a woman [or] to someone who’s not white. They’ve had years to think about it and they haven’t managed to find enough women.”

Mr Snow said his foundation would be taking a closer look at the operations of other grant recipients. “We will be looking to see improvements of behaviour across the sector. We don’t just see ourselves as funding great research. We want to see a values change and I hope this sends a message.”

Melbourne said it was committed to “strengthening a vibrant and inclusive community where diversity is recognised, valued and celebrated”. It cited its 2020 diversity and inclusion strategy and its forthcoming gender equality action plan, and said five of its six most recent executive appointments had been women.

“While we acknowledge the areas where we need to improve, Snow Medical has made their decision on the basis of a single honorary doctorate event. This event is not a true reflection of who we are as a university and the steps we are taking…to build a diverse university community, reflective of broader society,” the university said.

The episode marks the latest own goal by an Australian university awarding honorary doctorates. Last July, Perth’s Edith Cowan University (ECU) rescinded an honorary doctorate it had granted just four months earlier to a former politician over his allegedly homophobic comments and parliamentary voting record.

In 2014, ECU annulled the honorary doctorate of letters awarded in 2000 to Rolf Harris, after the entertainer was convicted of sex offences.

Other Australian recipients of honorary doctorates have included mining magnate Clive Palmer, controversial former Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and children’s entertainers The Wiggles, while overseas examples include former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, convicted rapist Mike Tyson and television puppet Kermit the Frog.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com