Frank, fearless and informed: a national higher education advisory body

CAPA applauds the thirteenth recommendation of the Senate Committee report, Universities in Crisis, that an independent national higher education advisory body be established.

"The re-establishment and expansion of an independent body to advise on higher education is an idea of the greatest merit that is well overdue," said CAPA President John Byron today.

"Since the Coalition did away with the Higher Education Council, this Government has deprived itself of expert, informed and independent advice on issues in higher education policy.

"The lack of an independent group of suitably experienced advisers has been a key contributor to the sector's slow asphyxiation, as the Government has wilfully ignored the views of people both within the sector and in the wider community on its destructive policy agenda."

The Committee's recommendation includes a stipulation that "respected and experienced individuals'‚ from the wider community should serve on an advisory body along with people from within the education system.

CAPA wholeheartedly agrees that an effective and relevant advisory body must include members drawn from the public at large, which after all is both the ultimate consumer of higher education, and its prime benefactor," Mr Byron continued.

"The Committee clearly recognises that only a foolish government prefers to keep itself uninformed about conditions within the sector, and about broad community expectations of universities."

The recommendation nominates several issues that such a body could investigate and report on, but there is no reason why its range of interests could not be extensive, nor why it could not examine matters of interest in addition to those referred to it by government.

"There is no shortage of hot topics for discussion in the coming, much-needed overhaul of government approaches to the management of the public university system," said Mr Byron.

"This recommendation clearly demonstrates once again the commitment of the Labor Party and the Democrats to broad consultation, democratic participation, and a sound, practical approach to policy making," observed Mr Byron.

"This bodes well for the revival of our universities should there be a change of government at the coming election," he said.

"However, the Government Senators' scorn for this measure indicates that we can expect more of the same, that is, a lack of consultation, a wilful denial of the negative impact of ideologically-driven policy, and the general vandalism of the higher education sector should the Coalition be returned.

"One must be confident that Australian voters will make a decision that will restore the integrity of our public education system, the engine room of Australia's future social, environmental and economic prosperity," he concluded.