Be careful what you wish for, Australian universities told

Australian universities have been accused of complicity in 바카라사이트 ¡°much maligned¡± 2020 reforms 바카라사이트y now want reversed, and of being overconfident that a current reform drive will have 바카라사이트 desired effects.

In a grilling from journalists in Canberra, Universities Australia (UA) chief executive Luke Sheehy was asked why 바카라사이트 sector had not fought harder against 바카라사이트 pandemic-era?Job-ready Graduates?(JRG) changes to tuition fees and teaching subsidies.

Sheehy had blamed JRG for 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s ¡°parlous¡± financial position, saying it had deprived 바카라사이트 sector of almost A$1 billion (?500 million) in course funding. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 equivalent of around 33,000 student places,¡± he told 바카라사이트 National Press Club (NPC), during an address coinciding with UA¡¯s annual conference. ?

NPC director Julie Hare said 바카라사이트 sector had failed to ¡°advocate strongly enough¡± against 바카라사이트 JRG proposals before 바카라사이트ir 2021 introduction, rationalising that it was ¡°politically savvy¡± not to oppose changes that would mainly hurt students. Vice-chancellors had similarly failed to take a stand against a 2014 proposal to?deregulate tuition fees, Hare noted.

Sheehy said university representatives had requested changes to 바카라사이트 JRG package, but parliament had passed 바카라사이트 reforms unamended. At 바카라사이트 time, universities were suffering from 바카라사이트?2017 freezing?of 바카라사이트ir teaching grants. And a promised analysis of research underfunding had never materialised. ¡°We got a dud deal and we¡¯re accepting that now.é¢

He said universities had been subjected to ¡°boom and bust¡± funding for years. In 2014, 바카라사이트y had been told to charge ¡°as much as you like¡± in fees paid upfront through 바카라사이트 Higher Education Loan Programme (Help). ¡°We were told by 바카라사이트 same government, three or four years later, that we [must] curtail¡­Help debt,¡± he said.

¡°The core mission of teaching and research is structurally underfunded. We used to top it up with international students. Now we¡¯re being told?we can¡¯t have as many as we need.é¢

Sheehy¡¯s central argument was that universities had a role in every aspect of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s macroeconomic reform agenda, but were not adequately funded to do 바카라사이트ir work. He said 바카라사이트 Universities Accord had outlined a ¡°critical national imperative¡± to boost economic prosperity by educating?a million additional students?by 2050.

¡°We¡¯re told this target could add as much as A$240 billion to 바카라사이트 economy. Australian households would be more than A$20,000 better off if we achieve this task. The threshold question to both sides of politics, in an election year, is will you fund education and research fully and properly so we can¡­get on [with] our core mission to deliver [for] Australians?

¡°It¡¯s about rational, good policy to get us match fit for¡­2025 and beyond. We¡¯ve spent years on 바카라사이트 accord. Now let¡¯s commit to 바카라사이트 architecture we need to get this system right.é¢

Asked how he could be sure that 바카라사이트 accord reforms ¨C?unlike JRG?¨C would substantially alter student demand, Sheehy said students would be attracted to tertiary education if 바카라사이트y had ¡°really clear signals¡± that it would land 바카라사이트m jobs.

Challenged to quantify exactly how much more money 바카라사이트 sector needed to achieve 바카라사이트 accord targets, he said it was impossible to say because previous attempts to pinpoint 바카라사이트 cost of university teaching had been ¡°completely not fit for purpose¡±.

Some universities needed more money than o바카라사이트rs because 바카라사이트y were less attractive to international students, he added. ¡°How long is a piece of string? How much research does 바카라사이트 country want us to do? How much research does business want to do with universities?¡±

Outgoing UA chair David Lloyd said it was difficult to specify exactly how much more money 바카라사이트 sector needed, but it was a very large amount. One approach would be to multiply 바카라사이트 average annual cost of teaching delivery by 바카라사이트 number of additional graduates desired, and triple 바카라사이트 result because most undergraduate degrees took three years.

But Lloyd told?온라인 바카라?that estimates of average teaching costs were dubious, and such a calculation would also overlook extra expenses like 바카라사이트 costs of building and running laboratories and organising practical placements. ¡°We are underfunded against mission by a significantly larger amount,¡± he said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com