Australian universities ¡®better off if legislation fails¡¯

As Australia¡¯s government meets a speed bump in legislating its university funding reforms, a top analyst and former Canberra insider says universities will be no worse off if 바카라사이트 reform push fails.

Andrew Norton, professor in 바카라사이트 practice of higher education policy at 바카라사이트 Australian National University,?says?바카라사이트 government¡¯s ¡°Job-ready Graduates¡± proposals offer universities little that 바카라사이트y do not already have. ¡°Overall, I think 바카라사이트¡­package will cause many more problems than it will solve over 바카라사이트 next few years,¡± he?.

¡°Muddling through with 바카라사이트 current system, while encouraging 바카라사이트 government to try again with a simpler, fairer and more coherent policy proposal, is 바카라사이트 better option.¡±

The package has stalled in 바카라사이트 Senate after winning approval from 바카라사이트?House of Representatives on 1 September. The government acceded to opposition and cross-bench MPs¡¯ wishes in referring 바카라사이트 bill for an inquiry by 바카라사이트 Senate¡¯s Education and Employment Committee.

The group is due to report by 25 September, giving it just three weeks to review 바카라사이트 complex proposals. But this compares favourably to 바카라사이트?six days?universities and sector representatives were given to provide feedback on an exposure draft of 바카라사이트 legislation.

Greens education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi, who had?unsuccessfully led?an earlier push to refer 바카라사이트 bill to 바카라사이트 Senate committee, said that more scrutiny was warranted. ¡°It¡¯s critical that 바카라사이트 senate hear from universities and everyone who is impacted by this¡­legislation,¡± she said.

¡°An inquiry will help take this¡­bill apart so we can block it once and for all in October.¡±

The government says that 바카라사이트 reforms will create 100,000 additional university places by 2030. Universities desperately need extra capacity to cater for a looming bulge in high school graduate numbers and a spike in demand fuelled by 바카라사이트 coronavirus-induced recession.

But Professor Norton says that 바카라사이트 increased capacity would be illusory. ¡°Any growth in commonwealth-funded student places would not be driven by increased Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding, but instead by lower average funding rates,¡± he writes.

¡°At a system level I don¡¯t believe that direct commonwealth funding will increase student places in 바카라사이트 coming years, beyond what could be delivered under status quo policies.¡±

He says that 바카라사이트 proposals offer increased cash flows over 바카라사이트 next two years followed by two years of cuts. This would not be an improvement on 바카라사이트 ¡°status quo¡±, with current funding levels already ¡°legally protected¡±.

The short-term increases were ¡°transitional funding¡± to compensate for reductions in teaching grants affecting both current and future students. Consequently, if 바카라사이트 reforms were not enacted, universities would have no need of 바카라사이트 transitional funding.

But if 바카라사이트 reform push succeeded, universities would face ¡°huge additional complexity and uncertainty¡± ¨C including 바카라사이트 need to administer new funds, cope with more complicated fee and subsidy hierarchies and perform ¡°much more compliance work¡± around student admission and retention rates ¨C for no net gain.

The package¡¯s rejection would leave universities with 바카라사이트 choice of admitting some unsubsidised students or denying 바카라사이트m places. But Professor Norton says that was already happening anyway, and was likely to continue.

¡°I believe that 바카라사이트 minister sincerely wants to deliver extra places, but nothing in 바카라사이트 legislation guarantees that this will happen,¡± he says.

john.ross@ws-2000.com