CAPA lays down the challenge

CAPA is pleased to announce the release of its priority issues for the 2004 Federal election.

"Over coming weeks, we will be focusing on 10 key issues in higher education, and asking the major parties to make clear their commitment to these pressing concerns," said CAPA President Stephen Horton today (full issues list below).

"Postgraduate education acts as the testing ground for most big changes to higher education. For example postgraduate coursework was almost completely deregulated in 1996, resulting in sky-rocketing fees - an experiment followed by the more recent partial deregulation of undergraduate education. The Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme, introduced in 2002, was the testing ground for the Fee-HELP scheme which will allow full-fee paying undergraduates to borrow the cost of their course fees from next year," Mr Horton continued.

"It is imperative that the community look closely at postgraduate education over the coming election campaign, not just because it is the litmus test for education more generally, but because postgraduate education really is in crisis. Our research students have little access to income support and must often work with second rate resources. Postgraduate coursework, which is the key to life-long learning, is plagued by unrealistic and unregulated fees. International postgraduates are used as cash-cows. Postgraduates researchers' IP rights are rarely protected. Basic research is under-valued by government. These issues are critically important to Australia and its future in an international knowledge economy," Mr Horton concluded.

A full media kit outlining CAPA's key issues for the 2004 election is available at www.capa.edu.au, under "ELECTION 2004.' In coming weeks CAPA will be asking the major parties to state their commitment to these issues.