How exactly did Alexander Downer’s daughter win a Chevening scholarship with a third class honours grade when others with first class honours degrees didn’t even warrant an interview? Perhaps there’s a simple answer: Chevening scholarships aren’t just merit-based.

If you check out the blurb, the Australian Chevening scholarships are for citizens who have “obtained, or expect to obtain, at least H2A Honours degree.” But – and this is crucial – they’re also for “outstanding graduates & young professionals with potential to rise to senior positions in professions or in public/private sector & to be in a position to contribute to the furthering of Australian-British relations.”
What exactly does this mean? As one former scholar has pointed out to Crikey, the Chevening is not just about academic merit – it’s also about achieving the foreign policy objectives of the British Government, namely forging strong relations with future world leaders. So it’s as much about what graduates of the program can do for the UK as what Britain can do for them.

Of course, Britain can spend its money how it wants – that’s its prerogative. But it’s interesting to note that some of the scholarships are co-funded by Australian companies like Landerer & Co, a prominent Sydney law firm, and Westfield Holdings Limited.

Given that Mr Downer’s office has consistently argued that Georgina should be able to pursue a career on her own merits, it’s ironic that in the case of the Chevening, winning the scholarship might have had less to do with academic performance than the perception that she could help foster Australian-British relations. And this, at least to some extent, no doubt relates to who her father is and the circles in which she moves or is likely to move in the future.

Once you accept that academic merit isn’t the sole selection criteria, or perhaps even the major one, the valuable Chevening starts to look like a gift, albeit one that is wrapped up very prettily in the form of a scholarship.

And if it’s really a gift, does it contravene the government’s Code of Conduct for Ministers which states: “In no circumstances will Ministers and their immediate family accept money by way of gift where the offer is any way connected to the official position of the Minister”?