It was already known that the Abbott government had effectively forced Australian universities into supporting its higher education reform package, at the heart of which is university fee deregulation. Australian governments are notorious for underfunding higher education, which nevertheless earns a return of $6 for every public dollar invested: as a proportion of GDP, Australia invests less in higher education than New Zealand, Canada, most of Europe and the USA. Realistic about their prospects for future funding increases, the universities had to support the government's attempt to raise students' fees.

What most didn't know until last week was that the Abbott government is also trying to force Australia's scientific research community to support fee deregulation. Christopher Pyne has sought to tie the $150 million of funding to the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), announced during last year's budget, to the passage of his higher education reform bill. The research community understood that the $150 million was all but guaranteed. There is now every prospect that it will fail to materialise if, as is expected, the Senate blocks the fee deregulation bill again.

And if that happens, there are 27 major research facilities across the country that will effectively have no funding after June this year. Hundreds if not thousands of postgraduate and early career researchers depend on the NCRIS - which facilitates research partnerships between industry, government and universities - for their positions, and there are fears many of them will have to seek work overseas. Scientists attended a Senate estimates hearing on Friday to make their case for funding certainty. This is not the first time the government has sought to effectively blackmail researchers into supporting its policy agenda in another area: the new $20 billion medical research fund was initially contingent upon the GP co-payment passing the Senate.

Russell Marks
Editor
http://www.themonthly.com.au/politicoz/march/1425861334/consultative-collegial-b...

funny though everyone went mad when he asked for $7 a visit to a doctor to put more funding into research as scientists refuse to work for free.. and because we are in a complete mess when its comes to debt and going down the drain at a rapid rate..

I guess the money has come.....................maybe when he finds the ALPs money tree all will be solved.

funny though everyone went mad when he asked for $7 a visit to a doctor to put more funding into research as scientists refuse to work for free.. and because we are in a complete mess when its comes to debt and going down the drain at a rapid rate..

I guess the money has come.....................maybe when he finds the ALPs money tree all will be solved.

Australia invests less in higher education than New Zealand, Canada, most of Europe and the USA.

cods wrote on Mar 9^th, 2015 at 11:22am:


Well gee I heard the $7 co payment was for the budget woes when 1st mentioned.

University administrators all agree that universities need more funding to provide world class degrees. Money does'nt grow on trees, does it? I know leftards, let's get the workers to pay for the degrees of bludging students. What do you think of that idea?

The correct model for a happy successful country is to give out as much in tax cuts as possible. then balance the budget by reducing the size of government.

when private hospitals, private schools, private telecommunications, private electricity providers, private toll roads all consistently out perform the government sector, then this policy is the policy of a "clever ' country.

If you want government control of everything, move to north korea.