Media Releases

No confidence in a review of Australia’s research training system

20 May 15

Today the federal minister for Education and Training has announced that he will be commissioning a review of Australia’s research training system, to be conducted by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has no confidence that a review commissioned by the minister can lead to improvements in the research training system or indeed a world class research training system.

In the recently announced 2015-16 federal budget the government committed itself to achieving full university fee deregulation by January 1 2016. Part of this higher education and research ‘reform’ agenda included a budgeted $173.7M cut (10% pa) to the Research Training Scheme (RTS) and reforms previously introduced into the parliament proposing that postgraduate students pay an annual fee of up to $3,900 to cover the loss in research training funds.

‘This review of the research training system is concerning’ said the National President Harry Rolf.

‘Despite the minister stating that the review’s main objective is to improve research training, CAPA has severe doubts that recommendations will be implemented should they disagree with the government’s stated deregulation agenda’.

The RTS is the main source of funding provided by the government to universities for training students undertaking a Research Doctorate or Research Masters degree. RTS funds go towards costs ranging from supervisors salaries to lab equipment, office computers and other resources required for the purposes of training. But the scheme is already estimated to be underfunded by an average of 27% per Effective Full Time Student and universities are known to be covering these costs through monies from other sources.

‘The RTS currently does not cover the full cost of research training at a university. If a review must occur its first step or indeed the first step of any initiative focused on improving research training in Australian must be to address this long standing issue’.

‘That a review is overdue or that research training outcomes such as employability need to be assessed are not the issues here. The issue is, how can the minister and this government have the best interests of our research training system in mind while they continue to belligerently pursue an agenda of deregulation and cuts to the RTS?’ concluded Harry Rolf.

ENDS

Media Contact:

Harry Rolf | National President | 0431 280 817 | president@capa.edu.au
Caitlin Bruty | Media Officer | 0419 533 297 | media@capa.edu.au