In War and Peace, Tolstoy describes Moscow’s mood in 1812 as the French approached, that it was “too depressing and painful to think of the danger, since it is not in man's power to foresee everything and avert the general march of events, and it is therefore better to shut one's eyes to the disagreeable until it comes, and to think instead of what is pleasant.”
It is much the same in HE now, with Education Minister Jason Clare extending national government policy over universities, all but one of which are governed by state or territory legislation.
Last week, he announced ATEC will “help break down the barriers” between university and VET.” The Commission is on to it, with a paper on “tertiary harmonisation” that is way more expansive than floated in the Universities Accord.
It followed Mr Clare stating not all universities need to research in as many fields as they do now and that ATEC will “provide advice” on how change this.
The Commission is likely to be able to make both happen through discussions on Commonwealth Student Places during compact discussions with each university.
Mr Clare has also approved the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal to get involved in setting salaries for Vice-Chancellors and also announced TEQSA will have more powers. Even the ones they have now appear to extend way beyond expectation – the Agency has taken authority over the process to select the new Chancellor at ANU.
That was too much for Universities Australia, being loudly condemned as an intrusion into ANU’s autonomy. “For many in the sector, it felt like a threshold moment, CEO Luke Sheehy said, “a moment where the regulator moved beyond questions of compliance and quality assurance, into questions much closer to institutional governance and operational decision-making.”
Uni Queensland Chancellor Peter Varghese agreed, saying “it sets a dangerous precedent and is part of a disturbing pattern of intrusions into the autonomy of universities.”
But no other leader or lobby is with them. The HE establishment is also silent as ATEC is empowered to intervene in two other core issues of autonomy, credit transfer and research strategy.
And the community will assume silence to be agreement – when it might really be surrender.