Universities Australia chief Luke Sheehy proposes the major university lobbies combine “in a whole-of-sector response” to the Australian Tertiary Education Commission legislation, now scheduled for a Senate committee inquiry, with submissions due mid-January.
Mr Sheehy has long called for ATEC to be independent of the Department of Education, last week describing legislation to create it as “a starting point” and arguing the Commission must “be genuinely independent” of the Department. The existing bills proposes ATEC consists of its three Commissioners, who “will be supported by staff” from DoE.
The Australian Technology Network was quick to state sympathy for UA’s intent, “supporting Universities Australia in its building of consensus."
“While we support the theory of 'stewardship' and champion its pledge of transparency in available data, before we unconditionally back-in the Bill we seek concrete reassurances from the Government about key elements such as independence and limits of scope,” Executive Director Kent Anderson said.
However, the position of other lobbies is not yet set, with observers suggesting a range of responses, from willingness to discuss a system-wide position to scepticism as to a unity of interest.
As a long-time observer of university lobbying told FC yesterday, it will take more than a call to comradely arms for some of them to sign onto Benjamin Franklin’s 1776 law of how coalitions survive vastly powerful opponents; “we must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”