Minister Nelson seeks unprecedented control of unis

A visibly nervous Education Minister Brendan Nelson today unveiled the legislation he needs to support his radical reforms of the higher education sector. As well as the news the sector was expecting--interest on some student fee- loans, more fees, and more fee payers--there was a surprise. The Minister now wants the power to determine who is, and is not, a 'Higher Education Provider.'

"The Higher Education Support Bill 2003, if passed, would make State control of universities' Enabling Acts a joke," said CAPA President Benjamin McKay today. "The Minister would be able to revoke or suspend an institution's status as a 'Higher Education Provider' if it were to breach one of the Bill's numerous provisions. If he was only a bit miffed with an institution, he could just chose to reduce or suspend funding," he continued.

"If this legislation is passed, university autonomy is dead."

A separate Bill, the Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student Union Fees) Bill 2003, seeks to make so-called Voluntary Student Unionism one of the provisions of the Support Bill. "If a university collected fees to pay for universal membership of student associations, who provide housing, legal, advocacy and political support, the Minister could simply say to the university "Off with your head!" " Mr McKay marvelled. "No more funding, no Austudy for the university's students... no more university," Mr McKay said.

"This element of the legislation is more the machinations of a megalomaniac, than a Minister of the Crown," said Mr McKay. "It is not a viable vision for the future of an independent and autonomous Australian higher education system."