Trump’s Survey of Australian Academics; Better to Talk to the Kangaroos! By James Reed
The Conversation dropped a piece on March 17, 2025, by Brendan Walker-Munro, saying Trump's crew is poking around Australian universities with a survey about their research—zeroing in on gender diversity, China connections, and how well they line up with U.S. priorities. Since Trump took over in January 2025, he's been slashing "woke" stuff left and right—no more federal cash for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), climate projects, or gender ideology nonsense. It's already shaken up U.S. campuses, and now it's hitting Australia. They've sent out this 36-question thing from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to Aussie researchers tied to American funding, asking about cash from China, Russia, Cuba, or Iran, any DEI fluff, and if they're sticking to Trump's "two genders only" rule. Oh, and they've got 48 hours to answer—tied to some CHIPS and Science Act and National Science Foundation rules.
Last year, the U.S. pumped A$386 million into Aussie research, with nearly 1,000 joint projects. Big players like the Group of Eight (Go8) unis and the Australian Academy of Science are crying foul, saying it's a sovereignty grab. The National Tertiary Education Union's calling it "blatant foreign interference." The survey's got Trump's fingerprints all over it—questions about border security, terrorism, and "anti-Christian bias" scream his playbook. In the U.S., people are suing, saying it's a free speech and due process violation, but funding's already frozen. Australia's government is scrambling to figure out what it means with the U.S., worried about research getting gutted and jobs disappearing.
Trump's survey is a power move—no doubt—but it's a pipe dream if he thinks it'll drag Australia out of its woke swamp. The U.S. can wave its money around or pull the plug, but Australia's not some lapdog ready to roll over. This place is too far gone—too Leftist, too stubborn, too hooked on its progressive Kool-Aid—to change for him. Here's why Trump's barking up the wrong tree:
First off, Australia's got its woke roots planted deep. Laws like the Fair Work Act 2009 lock in worker rights—unfair dismissal protections that'd make Trump's anti-DEI ranting laughable. Gender equality's practically a religion here—Victoria's Gender Equality Act 2020 pushes all that "positive action" garbage, and the Diversity Council's been crowing about inclusion wins forever (check their 2023 inclusion@Work Index). Sure, Australia's housing mess—skyrocketing rents and job woes—is terrible, but that doesn't mean Aussies are ditching their rainbow flags for Trump's red hats. People online are already scoffing, like "Mate, this ain't Trump's backyard." That $386 million matters, but it's not enough to flip a culture that's been marinating in lefty sauce for decades.
Second, Trump's got no real muscle to force a makeover. AUKUS has us tied militarily—$368 billion worth—but research is a different game. The Go8's pushing back hard, and folks online are calling it meddling, not teamwork. Australia's not strapped for options—Japan, Korea, even Europe could step in. Sure, losing NIH bucks (like $160 million to Go8 from 2020-2024) would sting, but unis have local funding from the ARC and industry to lean on. Trump's not rewriting the rules when Australia can just shrug and turn to China—our biggest trade buddy at $287 billion a year (2023 numbers). Good luck strong-arming that.
Third, this survey's a sledgehammer trying to crack a walnut. Asking "no DEI?" or "no China ties?" doesn't get how Aussie research works—it's practical, not some ideological crusade. Local lawyers in Melbourne are fighting dismissal cases under Aussie law, not Trump's two-gender obsession. People online are pointing out the ridiculousness—unis aren't about to ditch science or history to kiss his boots. And China? It's right next door—trade's too big to ignore. A 48-hour ultimatum won't change that reality.
So why's Trump even trying? It's all show—his "America First" chest-thumping going global. But Australia's too stuck in its woke ways to budge. By 2026, Australia's homeless won't give a burnt piece of toast about Trump's gender hang-ups—they'll be too busy dodging insane rents for shoebox flats; no it has already happened. The U.S. can yank its cash, but turning Australia anti-woke? That's a fantasy not even Trump's bravado can sell.
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