Research Students Key to Future

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has welcomed calls by both the Group of Eight Universities (Go8) and the Australian Technology Network (ATN) to boost the number of domestic PhD places, increase the number of and rates for research stipends, and provide better support and opportunities for postgraduates and early career researchers.

“Adequately supporting today’s research students is the first step on the way to building a future for higher education and for Australia” CAPA President, Nigel Palmer said. “Failing to do so means failing to even reach the starting point for building a long term vision for the sector, and, for the nation.”

“For many years research students have been languishing on stipends below the poverty line, or struggling to survive without access to any form of income support at all. We still have the farcical situation where PhD places are offered for four years, but stipends only for three. Research students employed part time as teachers or researchers often face an effective rate of pay below the minimum wage. You can only expect people to hang in there so long before they give up and are lost from the system entirely.”

Recent announcements by both the ATN and the Go8 highlight the link between support for today’s postgraduates and Australia’s long-term international competitiveness. A background paper released by the Go8 points out that 72.6% of research graduates enter non-university occupations. “These people go on to become future leaders and innovators in industry. Failing to adequately support the next generation of researchers means failing to provide in any real way for the research and innovation capacity of Australia into the future, and sets up a decline that will be very difficult to reverse.”

International comparisons published in a Group of Eight (Go8) background paper reveal Australia is lagging behind in PhD completions (2.3 per 100 graduates, compared with 3.9 in Canada and 11.2 in Germany). Of greater concern are trends indicating an imminent shortfall in the number of graduates eligible to move into academic positions as growing numbers in the academic workforce approach retirement age. Go8 projections estimate an average shortfall in workforce requirements of 47% per annum over the next ten years.

“Generational change in the higher education workforce is an issue that nobody is talking about, and nobody has plans to deal with. You can try to wish it away, but this issue is going to be on the doorstep before you know it. When we start to run low on teachers and researchers, we can’t simply import extra talent. We need to start building a future for our universities among our best and brightest now – and that means more places and better support.”

CAPA supports the Go8 call for more HECS-exempt domestic PhD places, but warns that additional places alone are not enough. “Extra places are a good start, but you have to match those with more support for research students to successfully complete their degrees. This means adequate support services and an adequate means by which to live. Research students contribute a significant amount to overall research output, and they often contribute a significant amount of their own income to cover the costs of doing research. A funded place itself won’t do anything to cover research costs, put food on the table, feed the family or pay the rent. Additional places must be matched with improved conditions and support, otherwise you risk casting any new funding for places into the wind” CAPA President, Nigel Palmer said.

Many postgraduates also risk falling at the last hurdle due to personal, financial or academic problems. “Academic advocacy and support has always been the “core business” of postgraduate associations, and these services were one of the first casualties of VSU. Although some universities have responded well, most have been happy to see these services decline or fade away entirely. This is clearly not world class.”

CAPA calls on all political parties in this election to match the base-line requirements for improving support for research students:

• Increase the duration of the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) to at least 4 years
• Increase the number of Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs) offered by at least 20%, and the rate by at least 30%
• Extend tax-free status to all stipends and allow recipients greater flexibility to go part time
• Allow research students without stipends access to basic levels of income support
• Ensure dedicated services are in place to support postgrads through to the successful completion of their degree (fix VSU)

“Neglect research students and you’re neglecting the future. Political parties in this election will be judged by their silence on improving the lot of today’s postgrads. Postgrad support is no longer a side issue: it is now front and centre of the higher education debate” CAPA President, Nigel Palmer concluded.

CAPA’s VSU impact report, The Impact of VSU on Postgraduate Students, is available from the CAPA website at www.capa.edu.au/VSU-impact-2007. Further background on CAPA's 2007 election priorities is available at www.capa.edu.au/election-2007. A link to the Go8 background paper and a .pdf version of this release are also available.