CAPA Attacks Government's Plans To Reduce Australia's Research Capability

CAPA has attacked the government's intention to cut postgraduate research by up to 3,500 places.

CAPA President, Bradley Smith, said that "cutting research places is yet another example of this government's dis-investment in Australia's research capability and comes at a time when the need to invest in the 'knowledge economy' is an increasingly urgent imperative".

Mr Smith said "regional areas can ill-afford to lose R&D and innovation capability. The government professes to want to boost regional Australia. At the last budget it introduced 100 new places to train doctors for rural and regional Australia but this policy reduces research capability in regional institutions by nearly 900 places. A case of one step forward and nine steps back."

The cuts come through implementation of the Government's White Paper reforms to research. Currently there are approximately 25,000 places but those in excess of a quota of 21,500 are designated excess, or 'gap places'. The government wants to eliminate these places.

Universities are offered a "choice" of converting their 'gap places' to undergraduate load, or retaining them for re-allocation in a new competitive funding scheme.

Mr Smith said, "universities do not have a realistic choice as all institutions will be substantially worse off financially if they try and retain their 'gap places'. The so-called choice is a cynical, politically expedient approach because it directs criticism of significant cuts in load at institutions not the government".

"The government's White Paper claims to reward and enhance industry linkages and innovative approaches to research education. All universities, and the Universities of Technology in particular, have been doing just that for the past decade, yet now they are to be punished by losing a significant number of research places".

"Regional, technological and new universities are worst hit with some likely to lose up to 50% of their research load. These universities have invested millions of dollars into building their research and research education capability in the past decade. This policy ignores this maturation and cuts their development off at the knees."

"The government says it wants to "expand opportunities and choice for research students" yet this policy will concentrate students in a small number of metropolitan institutions, thereby reducing opportunities, choices and diversity."

Mr Smith added that "the government is quick to demand greater transparency and accountability from institutions but is not transparent in its dealings with higher education and research. At no stage has there been any rationale advanced by the Minister as to why research places should be frozen at 21,500. Moreover the government are refusing to provide modelling of the new system prior to implementation so that the public and sector are fully appraised of the impact of the new system."