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NTEU Media Release: Where the parties stand on Higher Education

Posted 27 July 2010 by Michael Evans (NTEU National Office)

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) today released results of a survey it has conducted of the major Australian political parties’ stance on key higher education, research, industrial relations, Indigenous and other policy issues.  A summary of the results and the individual party responses can be downloaded from NTEU’s website, www.nteu.org.au/campaigns/federal_election_2010/questionnaire

“Perhaps the best way to sum up the policies at this stage of the 2010 Federal Election campaign is that we can expect more of the same from the ALP as it continues to implement the policies announced in 2009 and it would be back to the future if the Coalition were elected,” Mr Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Coordinator said today. 

“While NTEU acknowledges the substantial increase in public investment Federal Labor has made in higher education, the NTEU’s analysis of the Government’s performance[1] to date identified a number of areas of unfinished business.” 

“Issues which NTEU believes the government still needs to address include: whether the increased levels of public investment will be sufficient to enable universities to meet the Government’s ambitious policy objectives; ensuring the new regulatory and funding frameworks do not undermine institutional autonomy; policies to address academic workforce development, and targeted measures to lift Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student and staff involvement in higher education.”

“The Coalition’s higher education policy takes us back to the future with the reintroduction of full fee places for Australian undergraduates as well the possibility of removing the cap on HECS charges.  Under this scenario and without a commitment to increase public funding, Australian students will pay more for a university education and our public universities’ financial viability will become dependent on private income.”

“NTEU is also curious about how the Coalition’s plans to cut international student visas is consistent with its objective to ensure universities have more diverse and sustainable sources of income when international student fee income is the most important non-government source of income for our universities.”   

“The Coalition will not commit to ruling out the re-introduction of the Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs) which would mean ‘Workchoices by stealth’ by making university funding conditional on meeting the Coalition’s industrial relations agenda.”  

“If the Greens were to achieve the balance of power in the Senate then it would be possible for a new Labor Government to undo the Coalition’s Voluntary Student Union (VSU) law which resulted in independent advocacy and student services being virtually wiped out at many of our smaller universities.”

“We encourage everyone who has an interest in the future of our universities to look at the results of our survey to get a clearer picture of where Australia’s major political parties stand on higher education policy.” Mr Kniest concluded.

[1] See My Higher Education Revolution in NTEU Advocate July 2010 (www.nteu.org.au/library/view/id/593)

Media Contact:          Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Unit Coordinator: 0418 170 622

                                Michael Evans, National Organiser:  0418 241 664   

Tags: • Related Blogs: ACT Division, NSW Division, NT Division, Vic Division, WA Division, SA Division, Qld Division, Tas Division, Australian Catholic University, University of Adelaide, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australian National University, University of Ballarat, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Bond University, University of Canberra, Charles Darwin University, Central Queensland University, Charles Sturt University, Curtin University of Technology, Deakin University, Edith Cowan University, Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Macquarie University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, Murdoch University, University of Notre Dame Australia, University of Newcastle, University of New South Wales, Queensland University of Technology, RMIT University, Southern Cross University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Sydney, University of New England, University of Queensland, University of South Australia, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Southern Queensland, University of Technology Sydney, University of Western Australia, University of Western Sydney, University of Wollongong

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