Senate Independents should demand better university package
November 28 2003
The announcement of an amended higher education package agreed on by the AVCC and Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson today, has compromised university independence and autonomy by continuing to attach industrial strings to funding of more than $460 million, according to the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).
Under the new package $404 million in base funding will be tied to a requirement that universities offer Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), while a further $55.2 million will be tied to three other workplace requirements - no conditions above “community standards”, no casual employment limits and no direct Union role in disputes / grievances – under the Workplace Productivity Program.
“The Government wants to tell universities how they should employ their staff and on what conditions. This is in direct contravention of the institutional autonomy of universities and continues to be the strongest example of excessive Government interference. AWAs do not give choice to staff, they undermine their core employment conditions. The only reason for insisting on AWAs is to offer salaries and conditions below existing standards in our collective agreements” said Dr Allport.
“The Independent Senators should reject these measures and support the inclusion of institutional autonomy and academic freedom as core objects of any new Act”.
The package should also be rejected because it fails to provide sustainable funding for universities in the future. “Even though a proper scheme for indexation of university grants was a key demand by the AVCC they have not convinced the Government to accept the need for indexation. This gives the Independent Senators an opportunity to guarantee a stable funding future by insisting on adequate indexation” she said.
Dr Allport called for further amendments to prevent HECS fee increases and to remove the contentious student learning entitlement. “I have been encouraged by the level of interest that the Independent Senators have on these matters and urge them to have further discussions next week with all stakeholders in the sector before making any final decisions”.