The Senate Committee inquiry into a Liberal Party proposal for an inquiry into antisemitism on campus takes evidence today. And a big day it will be – hearing from six Jewish and two Muslim organisations, plus groups likely to support their respective positions. There is safety in numbers for Vice-Chancellors attending – Genevieve Bell (ANU), Attila Brungs (UNSW), Iain Martin (Deakin U), Mark Scott (Sydney), Nicola Phillips (acting, Uni Melbourne) – they share just 45 minutes.
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The learned Andrew Norton nails what the Student Ombudsman’s Bill means for universities; “another major increase in higher education regulation. While the Ombudsman cannot order higher education providers to do things, negative reports will inflict reputational damage and may trigger regulatory action by other agencies.”
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The Queensland Government is funding CSIRO to run a programme for SME’s to develop partnerships with regional universities. Eligible industry categories include, manufacturing, robotics, energy and lest anyone miss out with an election imminent, “other.”
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The Senate committee inquiry into international student quotas is extended yet again, with submissions reopened until September 26 and a fourth hearing on October 2. The final report is now expected on October 8. Word is that the Opposition will not support the bill until Ministerial Direction 107 is cancelled and that Education Minister Jason Clare will not agree to that until the bill is passed. Mr Clare and his coalition shadow Sarah Henderson are now dead-heating in a competition to annoy providers who really do need to know how many students they can approve for next year.
And time is becoming tight for any bill to pass. If the Senate wants amendments Jason Clare will wear there are 14 more sitting days in the Reps this year after October 8 and ten in the Senate
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Some good news for universities anxious about enrolments – the job market is looking less of an alternative to starting to study. Jobs and Skills Australia reports for August a continuing gradual decline in job advertisements since the mid 2022 peak. “Recruitment difficulty” was marginally up in August, reported by 50 per cent of employers who wanted to hire, II per cent lower than last year and 25 per cent down on July 2022.
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The NSW and ACT Universities Admission Centre are short of an MD. David Christie steps down October 1.
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Just in at the Forlorn Hopes desk, news that 40 HE quality agencies around the world gave called on social media providers to stop advertising academic cheating services. The Global Academic Integrity Network wants them “to join the fight against academic dishonesty” and “significantly reduce the visibility and impact of contract cheating services.”
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Charles Sturt U VC Renée Leon is named in a review of findings by the Robodebt Royal Commission. Australian Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer states she breached the public service code of conduct as head of the Department of Human Services regarding four substantive allegations. But CSU Chancellor Michele Allan backed Professor Leon “we fully support her courageous and ultimately successful efforts to help end the Robodebt programme, her transparent testimony at the subsequent royal commission, and her full and truthful account of her actions.”
Professor Leon also responded, via LinkedIn, “I believe the steps I took, under significant pressure, were consistent with the principles of public service to which I have unstintingly devoted my professional life.”
However this went down with the university community in general the National Tertiary Education Union was not impressed. “Vice Chancellor Renée Leon should resign immediately,” General Secretary Damien Cahill said Monday.
And Union President Alison Barnes attacked “the Chancellor’s immediate defence of Ms Leon after the Public Service Commissioner’s report was released. This raises serious questions about university leadership’s attitude to governance, integrity and accountability,” Dr Barnes said.
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US law firm Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann and Bernstein has commenced an antitrust case in New York against six for-profit journal publishers including Elsevier and Springer-Nature, on “behalf of a proposed class of scientists and scholars.” The allegations are that publishers agree to “fix the price of peer review services at zero,” reduce competition by requiring researchers to submit papers to one journal at a time and prohibit researchers from sharing “scientific advancements” in manuscripts that are in the peer-review process.
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The Senate Committee inquiring into the international student caps Bill is now due to report on October 8. If the Senate quick-smart proposes amendments Jason Clare will wear, there are 14 more sitting days in the Reps this year after then and ten in the Senate. It is all down to the Coalition deciding how much pain they want to provide for the Government, which will respond that the Libs and Nats are soft on immigration, however minor the change.
