Commentary On Christmas Eve 2021, Australia’s Acting Minister of Education, Stuart Robert, vetoed six research grants, that had been recommended by the Australian Research Council (ARC) for funding. The proposed research projects dealt with modern-day China, the motivation behind school students’ climate activities, exploration of early English literature and theatre, and the connection of religion to science fiction and fantasy novels. When vetoing these projects, the minister indicated that these research projects “do not demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money nor contribute to the national interest.” His action spawned a furious response by senior university administrators, learned academies, and education commentators. The Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Brian Schmidt, used his state of the university address on Jan. 7 to criticise Robert’s decision to veto these research grants recommended by the ARC. Schmidt said, “Of the four known occurrences of political interference, three have occurred in the …