Universities have quibbled about a range of issues with the last of the ATEC Bills, but the Government’s message was clear – Barney Glover has everything covered.
There was nothing in the Senate committee hearing this week to change anybody’s mind. Basically because witnesses want the Bill to pass, just with amendments to suit a bunch of very specific interests that don’t quite line up with each other. Collectively, they sang “solidarity forever” – just in different keys – and they were ultimately outperformed by the Department of Education and ATEC tag-team, which had big-picture national-interest answers to everything.
Among the lobbies, Luke Sheehy, (Unis Aus) stuck to the high-ground, calling for a legislated pool of student places and editing ministerial powers out of the Bill to make ATEC autonomous. Vicki Thomson (Go8) focused on allowing students the right to choose where to study. Alec Webb (Regional Universities Network) wanted a “fairer share of future growth and resources for universities that perform the heaviest lifting in supporting underrepresented students,” and criticised arguments that assist “the concentration of enrolments at a handful of very large, geographically privileged universities,” (gosh, who could he have had in mind?) And Paul Harris from the 2050 Alliance made another deeply informed policy-based case for his members’ interests. “Genuine student choice requires a healthy and sustainable ecosystem of universities in our inner cities, suburbs and regions.”
As to the two issues that just about everybody agreed on – nothing will happen. One is Job Ready Graduates which Education Minister Jason Clare hates, just not to the point of doing anything about it and it isn’t covered in the Bill. The other is the ministerial cap on international numbers by institution, which is politically non-negotiable for the Government.
It was left to independent experts, Andrew Norton and Mark Warburton, to provide special pleading-free policy analyses of the Bill. Among detailed analyses, Professor Norton pointed out how a minister can announce more demand-driven student places, “with unpredictable consequences” for core load. Mr Warburton reminded senators that student places are not covered by the new ATEC-university compacts. “The arrangements being put in place, in my view, are somewhat dishevelled.”
While the Coalition has not declared how its senators will vote, the Bill is likely to pass the Upper House, for the same reason cross-benchers backed it in the House – the assumption ATEC will sort everything out. Which was pretty much the message conveyed by Chief Commissioner Barney Glover’s evidence on why the legislation is necessary, “we needed very much to move to an enhanced needs-based funding regime for Australian universities —managed growth for sustainability and to address marginal funding and to lead to growth over time to reach those attainment targets and needs based funding to provide adequate resources to scaffold the learning and support for students from an educationally disadvantaged background. Hence, the bill before you today.”
So that’s alright then – at least for now.
As Universities Australia’s Carolyn Evans said Wednesday, if … you try to control too much from the centre and the government or ATEC gets it wrong then every single university will make the same mistake.”