Campus Review Vol 29. Issue 7 July 2019 | Page 12

policy & reform campusreview.com.au Ramsay Centre CEO Professor Simon Haines. Photo: Supplied Who’s afraid of the Ramsay Centre? Centre’s CEO defends Western civilisation degree and describes critics as “narrow, divisive and non-inclusive”. Simon Haines interviewed by Wade Zaglas E stablished in March 2017 through a bequest by the Ramsay Foundation, the Ramsay Centre’s objective is to reinvigorate the study of Western civilisation in Australia. The centre aims to have its program taught in two or three universities initially, mainly in NSW and the ACT. It will offer undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships, resulting in no bill for the taxpayer. At the heart of the Ramsay Centre is a passionate belief that all Australians should have the opportunity to learn about the 10 history and achievements of Western civilisation. In a promotional video for the centre, CEO Professor Simon Haines reflects on the civilisation’s key achievements, including dramatic scientific, political and economic advancements that have improved humanity, such as antiseptics, the rule of law and democracy. Former Australian prime minister John Howard also appears in a promotional video, highlighting how the Enlightenment and the Judaeo-Christian ethic have shaped the freedoms and rights individuals enjoy in Australia. Critics of the centre, however, see a pernicious side to the program, arguing it “whitewashes history” and privileges a Western culture forged out of colonialism, imperialism, racism and patriarchy. Political professor Robert Manne, who gave the program a cautious nod, warned in a wide-reaching article in The Monthly that the program must not ignore these “dark chapters of Western history”.