CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY LOSES OUT ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING
June 4 2004
Charles Darwin University (CDU) will not receive the maximum financial loading for regional campuses introduced as part of the Government’s reform package for higher education, despite its unique status as the Territory’s only university, questions in the Federal Parliament have revealed.
“The decision, which the CDU administration has claimed will cost it something like $1 million this year alone, makes no sense,“ said Dr Carolyn Allport, National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) President.
“The regional loading is designed to compensate rural and regional universities for the higher costs they face in delivering courses to students, and to claim that multi-mode students are less expensive to teach than external students is nonsensical.”
In an answer to questions asked in Federal Parliament by Senator Trish Crossin, Labor Senator for the Territory, on Thursday 3 June, officials from the Department of Employment Education and Training (DEST) confirmed that CDU will not receive regional loading for students who are studying in a multi-mode at the university, that is completing some of their courses on campus and some off.
CDU currently receives a 30% loading for students studying on campus and a pro rata loading for students studying off campus.
DEST officials also confirmed that the decision not to pay any regional loading for students who are in a multi-mode is being driven by a literal interpretation of the Ministerial Guidelines for the funding system for universities, the Commonwealth Grants Scheme.”
“$1 million to a small institution like CDU means 20 to 30 full time jobs,” said Dr Allport.
“Given that CDU students come from right across the Territory, multi-mode attendance is perhaps the only way they can manage to study at university. A failure to recognise this will disadvantage all Territorians.”
“The sad irony is that the bureaucracy that is now denying CDU funding is the very same one that encouraged it to offer multi-mode courses because of its unique location and the mixture of students from disadvantaged and isolated backgrounds.”
“The NTEU calls on Education Minister Nelson to rectify this situation by changing his Ministerial Guidelines to allow for the payment of regional loadings for multi-mode students, and providing sufficient additional funds to pay for these loadings.”
For information and comment:
Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU President: 0419 349 064
Mark Wheeler, NTEU Industrial Officer: 0417 977 573