Refreshing acknowledgment of uni problems by Minister

CAPA welcomes the possibility of significant reform to the Australian university system signalled by Federal Minister, Brendan Nelson, this morning.

"For too long, the Government has ignored overwhelming evidence from the higher education sector that universities are in crisis," said CAPA President, Ms Leisa Ridges.

"To hear the Federal Education Minister acknowledge that the current state of the university system is not sustainable is refreshing."

"Unanimous agreement within the higher education sector that there is a problem is a positive first step towards improvement. Until now, the Government's refusal to concede the need for change has hindered this process," she added.

The Minister touched on a number of areas for reform, including regional universities and specialised courses offered by institutions.

"CAPA looks forward to seeing the Minister's proposals on these areas", Ms Ridges commented.

"Nevertheless, while CAPA welcomes any government measures to rectify the many problems faced by Australian universities, we question the ability of any reform to achieve this goal without an increase in public funding, " she argued.

Insufficient public investment in higher education has compelled universities to find what the Minister has termed as "creative ways of making their systems and finances work".

However, in some cases, the desperation of universities to find alternative private sources of funding has seen them take significant commercial risks and participate in questionable private enterprises, which, in Victoria, has prompted a review of university governance.

"Insufficient funding is the root cause of the crisis currently faced by Australian universities, and while it is significant that the Minister is undertaking to develop a package of reform, CAPA is hesitant about the effectiveness of any such package without a guaranteed increase in university funding" said Ms Ridges.

"Despite his statement that government funding will not increase, Dr Nelson has demonstrated that he is listening to some of the messages being conveyed by the peak bodies within the sector and has welcomed the input of all stakeholders."

"CAPA is very much looking forward to working with the Minister", she concluded.