Perhaps it is time for the Liberal Government to take part in some higher education themselves at least until they learn how to read full research reports. The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) is stunned that the Federal Government would use a report that specifically states “These figures cannot be compared as direct growth or decline in costs relative to funding over the five years to 2015, given the differences in the sample, and differences in cost collection approaches.” to try and cut university funding again!
The report may have discussed little change to the cost of teaching but did not include the costs to universities in regards to research, community outreach or infrastructure research. Through consecutive years the Federal Government has hacked away at one program or another then cannot understand why teaching money is used to subsidise these programs.
CAPA had hoped that the Federal Government had finally realised the importance of education and research investment with the decision to define “good” and “bad” debt. Clearly we expected too much of them but thankfully we have a world class education system that will happily teach them these principles. They may even like to pay for the education this time.
Every university is facing job cuts, scholarship cuts and looking for ways to cut the cost of teaching in order to stay afloat and it astounds CAPA that, when universities are shedding staff, that the government cannot see for themselves the dire straits that we are in.
“All the Federal Government has to do is go to a university and let the students show them teaching facilities that have not been upgraded in decades for him to realize that universities do not have the free cash to invest like it needs to,” Said CAPA National President Peter Derbyshire, “Thankfully these cuts will galvanise the higher education above that of even fee deregulation”.
“In fact when I visit universities I would be more than happy to take the Federal Government to class where they can see what is happening on the ground.” Says Mr Derbyshire.
Clearly what was meant by talks about “research and innovation” was really “cuts and university degradation”
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For comment: Peter Derbyshire CAPA National President M: 0435 047 817 president@capa.edu.au
