Union calls on Governments to protect James Cook University
10 April 2006
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is calling on the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments to provide scholarships to North Queensland students in order to help James Cook University. The union is also calling on the Commonwealth to fund centres of national significance at JCU so that it will be the place of first choice for students from throughout Australia.
Dr Howard Guille, Queensland Secretary of the NTEU says that the Commonwealth will withdraw $6 to $10 million from JCU this year because enrolments are short of targets. This means 500 less university places for North Queensland in 2007 and up to 80 job losses at JCU. These are very serious losses.
The NTEU believes that once the places go there will be long-term shortages such as teachers, nurses engineers and doctors. The current downturn is partly a factor of the resources boom and partly from current policies, Dr Guille said. Current Commonwealth policies encourage a short-term approach and destructive competition between universities. One result is that capital city universities are being advantaged over regional ones.
JCU is a vital part of North Queensland and governments must help it through difficult times. One way is for the Governments to set-up scholarships for North Queensland students to study at JCU. $5m would provide 500 scholarships and help JCU and help students. It would also help maintain JCU maintain its position as a university with one of the highest proportion of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
For further information:
Howard Guille
3846-2355 or 0419-673-092