Where to for higher ed after the election?

Terri MacDonald and Kieran McCarron

Public Policy and Strategic Research

Where to for higher education after the federal election?

MANY PEOPLE interested in higher education would have breathed a sigh of relief after 21 May. Nearly a decade of the Coalition’s stewardship has resulted in: • Funding reduced by 2.6% in real terms since 2013 despite a23% increase in enrollments. • The end of the demand driven system, capping the number of places. • Average student debt has increased from $15,000 in 2012 to $23,000 in 2021 • At least 30,000 sector jobs have been lost. • No progress on insecure jobs, an increase in specialization of work, and a decrease in proportion of teaching-research jobs. • Strong government intervention in and control of research agenda, including grant vetos and a new commercial research focus. • An absence of higher education from the narrative around economic growth and skills.

To top it off, the Jobs Ready Graduates changes introduced in 2021 took the situation from bad to worse. It was intended to direct students to government’s chosen areas like STEM subjects, but created counter-objective incentives for universities and almost private level fees for many students. The government cut funding by around 15% per place, while student fees increased by 7% per place.

Badly conceived, unfair and deeply problematic, it was ultimately a cost saving measure for the Coalition. It removed the link between teaching & research via changes to the Commonwealth Grants Scheme (CGS), forced students out of courses if they fail more than 50% of subjects, and supercharged student debt.

What did the ALP and Greens take to the election?

The ALP’s main policies are:

• “Up to 20,000” additional places for targeted areas of importance. • Proposal of an ‘accord’ approach to depoliticise reform – focus on Accessibility, Affordability, Quality, Certainty,

Sustainability, Prosperity. • Some targeted infrastructure spending. • 465,000 free TAFE places, and 45,000 new TAFE places. • Now IR Minister Tony Bourke committed Labor to criminalising wage theft, introducing minimum standards for gig workers, delivering on their “same job, same pay” policy and restoring balance to the Fair Work

Commission.

While the Greens promised:

• Free university education. • Erase student debt. • Reverse the Jobs Ready Graduates package. • Increase funding per place by 10%. • Increase RBG funding by $5.5B. • Increase job security for University and TAFE workers (via linked funding). • Increase governance power of staff and students.

What needs to be addressed?

The problems and issues are many, but these are the most pressing ones:

• Insecure work – only 1 in 3 university jobs is continuing. • Increased specialization, wage theft, increased workloads, undermining of pay & conditions, poorer career paths, sexual harassment and exploitation – all linked to insecure employment. • The funding and cost issues in the Jobs Ready Graduates package need to be addressed. • Research is being steered towards commercialisation

in select areas, basic research is being undermined, humanities research is being undermined. • Government interference in research funding bodies, the ARC and NHMRC. • Other issues include the transparent reporting of data;

Vice-Chancellor remuneration; the Respect@Work recommendations; and a range of governance issues.

Public higher education is at a crossroads & we need an education revolution…

Industrial & policy solutions are needed to urgently address insecure work, for all areas of higher education. Funding reform is necessary, but we don’t need more money for buildings or Vice-Chancellor salaries. Higher education needs to be accessible, affordable, and equitable. Research has been undermined and underappreciated – basic, fundamental research needs support, humanities research needs to be supported, ARC & NHMRC funding needs to be addressed.

We need to ensure that the priorities are meaningful, have an impact, don’t undermine workers industrially, and that they build union strength and a member voice – we want better unis, better lives.

To this end we will:

• Take a delegation of members to Canberra to tell their stories to MPs and Senators (see elsewhere). • Organise for Branches & members to visit local MPs. • Participate in sector events, inquiries and the “Accord”. • Undertake new research to support campaigning & lobbying. • Formulate and consolidate policy as we engage with the new Government • Integrate this into our organising and industrial strategies (eg insecure work, sexual harassment) in a whole of union approach. • Work with sector allies & the broader union movement.