Staff defend community involvement in Uni of Tasmania
10 March 2000
In an attempt to win the approval of the Federal Government and comply with one of few remaining proposals from Minister Kemp’s discredited Cabinet submission, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tasmania, Professor Don McNicol, has proposed drastically reducing representation on its most powerful decision making body. The current composition of the University Council includes elected representatives of academic and general staff, students, graduates and the Tasmanian community. With a membership of 24, the Council of the University of Tasmania is typical of most around the country, many of which were previously reduced in size.
\"Staff will not accept the Vice-Chancellor’s proposal to reduce the elected membership of the Council\" David Taylor, NTEU Tasmania Industrial Officer said. \"Professor McNicol has not offered any justification for his proposal. Instead, he relies on the threats of Minister Kemp and the outdated and largely ignored Hoare Report of 1995. Professor McNicol should be defending Tasmania’s only university from precisely this sort of inappropriate interference by government, instead of pandering to the managerialist agenda of the Federal Government.
\"Professor McNicol has put forward three options, all of which reduce the membership of the Council and disproportionately attack the representation of elected members- all three options are unacceptable to staff. All options would result in only a minority of Council positions being elected, in contrast to the current clear majority. We are not opposed to reforming the membership of the Council, however, to explicitly attack the representation of the Tasmanian community, academic and general staff and graduates is counter to the effective operations of the University. The Council needs greater involvement from the community, not less.
\"Professor McNicol is nailing his colours to the wall by announcing this plan. Not only is he aligning himself with Minister Kemp on this issue, but he is also making clear his intention to fulfil the other conditions for additional Federal Government funding, such as AWAs, reducing the role of award conditions and ‘simplifying’ retrenchment.
\"Meetings of staff are planned for next Wednesday to discuss the proposal going to Council. If Professor McNicol does not abandon his plans to fundamentally alter the principles of university governance, the NTEU will seek a meeting with the Tasmanian Government prior to these extreme proposals being considered by the State Parliament.\"