Staff, Students & Institutions benefit from Labor’s Proposed Higher Ed Policy
July 23 2003
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) believes Labor’s higher education policy contains substantial benefits for university staff, students, their institutions and the broader community.
“While the Labor policy released today has some elements in common with the Government’s Backing Australia’s Future package of higher education reforms, the NTEU believes it contains a number of significant advantages over the Government’s proposals,” said Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President.
“Particularly welcome is Labor’s pledge to make access to higher education dependant on ability, not ability to pay, and the absence of any ideologically motivated workplace reform conditions attached to additional funding for universities.”
“This is a package that has benefits for all the major stakeholders in higher education, students and their families, university staff, their institutions and the broader community.”
In addition to the initiatives announced previously, Labor’s higher education policy document contains the following positives:
- New funding for higher education over and above that pledged by the Commonwealth in its Backing Australia’s Future package.
- A more generous indexation mechanism for the salary component of university grants, an issue crucial to the future financial viability of universities.
- An explicit commitment to not allow universities to increase HECS by 30%.
- A commitment to fully fund the 25,000 full-time equivalent student places currently funded at a marginal rate, and to create some 21,000 new full and part-time university places by 2008.
“The NTEU believes that the ultimate test for Labor’s policy is whether the package will provide more funding per student,” said Dr Allport.
“The Government’s higher education reform package failed this test and the NTEU will be closely examining Labor’s policy on this crucial issue, as well as the other implications of Labor’s proposals.”
“The full details of Labor’s higher education policy were the missing piece in the higher education debate. This is a crucial discussion not just for university staff and students, but for anyone hoping to go to university.”
For information and comment
Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President:
03 9254 1910 or 0419 349 064
Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator:
03 9245 1910 or 0438 026 277