Research "Green Paper" points to a market-driven future
30 June 1999
The Government’s Discussion Paper on higher education research, released today, points to a future where student vouchers and the needs of research `users’ will increasingly drive the allocation of resources and the nature of research activity in Australian universities.
Commenting on the paper’s release today, the National Tertiary Education Union said that it was disappointed that the paper did not address the core problem confronting Australian university research: a 5.5% decline in funding for higher education research as revealed in the 1999-2000 Budget Papers.
`While the proposals for restructuring the ARC and linking its programs to industry and innovation outcomes will no doubt stimulate productive discussion, no amount of administrative re-jigging will disguise the fact that university research funding is steadily falling,’ said NTEU Policy and Research Officer Julie Wells.
`The proposal that postgraduate scholarships be made more `portable’ – with funding following the student - clearly points the way to a voucher-driven system, and this will be highly controversial,’ she said. `If implemented, it makes a mockery of the government’s assertion that it will not implement voucher-based funding. It also raises the question of whether postgraduate students are providing a dummy-run for extending this system to the undergraduate arena, as recommended by the West Review.’
`The emphasis on linking research to innovation and the interest of research users also suggests a more market-driven approach, and raises questions about how basic research – particularly that which has no obvious application – is to be treated within the new framework’, she said. `If the government seeks to involve a broader cross-section of the community in the development of research policy and programs, as suggested in the paper, then I hope that they would include those with an interest in the public benefits which flow from a broad knowledge base.’
Dr Wells said that the paper would be circulated widely for discussion, and the Union would prepare a detailed response to the issues raised after full consultation with its members.