GOVERNMENT DEFEATED ON UNIVERSITY INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
December 5 2003
NTEU today welcomed the removal of the industrial relations requirements from the Higher Education Support Bill 2003, but said that the final package still contains a number of fundamental flaws especially related to increases in student fees, institutional autonomy, academic freedom and a lack of adequate indexation.
“The NTEU applauds the Senate’s rejection of the Government’s requirements linking over $400m of university funding to universities meeting workplace relations reforms. This is a recognition that the Government’s requirements had nothing to do with the sustainability and quality of higher education but were driven purely by its ideological industrial relations agenda”, Dr Carolyn Allport, National President Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said today.
“The Senate’s decision to reject the requirement that funding be conditional on meeting the Government’s ideologically driven industrial relations agenda is a major loss for the industrial hard liners in the Howard cabinet but represents a major win for universities and their staff who will now be able to negotiate collective agreements without the threat of losing Government funding,” she added.
“Senator Shayne Murphy (Independent Tasmania) deserves special mention for his strong advocacy of union rights and collective bargaining despite coming under enormous pressure from both the Minister and the Australia’s Vice Chancellors Committee (AVCC) to soften his position.”
“Despite the Senate making over 100 amendments to the Government’s original Bill, we still contend that the package contains a number of fundamental flaws.”
“The ability for universities to increase student fees for government supported places by up to 25% and expand the number of full fee paying places to 35% of all enrolments are a particular threat to the affordability of a quality university education.”
“A failure to include appropriate indexation means that any additional funding will eventually be eroded by cost and prices rises”
“The fact that the Minister still retains considerable discretion over which courses will attract government funding threatens both institutional autonomy and academic freedom.”
“We are extremely disappointed with the AVCC who capitulated to Government pressure and failed to support amendments that would have removed these flaws and enshrined the principles of institutional autonomy and academic freedom into legislation.”
For Further Information and Comment
Carolyn Allport, National President
Grahame McCulloch, General Secretary