NTEU federal budget submission attacks the black hole in university funding
4 March 1998
The National Tertiary Education Union\'s Budget Submission, released today, calls for an end to the erosion of Government funding for higher education, and the abolition of up-front undergraduate fees.
`The changes introduced by the Coalition have been a disaster for universities and the community they serve,\' said NTEU President Carolyn Allport. `We\'ve already seen more than 3000 jobs disappear from the sector and a number of courses close, as well as declining levels of demand for higher education among those sections of the population most affected by the changes to HECS.\'
The Union, which represents 25,000 staff in tertiary education, identifies the need to restore Commonwealth investment in higher education and develop more appropriate methods for indexing operating grants as the first priority for Government. One strategy suggested is the direct re-investment of HECS income in the higher education sector.
`The Government\'s refusal to fund salary increases only compounds the impact of the cuts,\' Dr Allport said. `Staff will continue to adapt to the changing needs and interests of students and the community, but it\'s going to be very difficult to maintain international and domestically competitive salaries in an environment where all increases have to come from external sources. This will have long-term implications for the quality of the sector.\'
`The Government has managed to wind back some of its cuts in areas such as nursing homes. If it doesn\'t acknowledge its responsibility for the quality and accessibility of Australian higher education and provide a more realistic level of university funding, the community as a whole will be the poorer.\'
A summary of recommendations contained in the Submission follows. Staff, students and community organisations will be highlighting these concerns at a National Day of Action on 1st April.
1998-1999 Federal Budget Submission
For further comment or a full copy of the NTEU Budget Submission:
Carolyn Allport NTEU National President tel. 03 9254 1910 (BH) 0419 349 064 (Mobile)
Julie Wells National Research Officer tel. 03 9254 1910 (BH) 03 9525 5451 (AH)