“Open the pod bay doors please HAL.” “I’m sorry Dave, show me where it specifies I have to do that in the new International Standards Organisation brief for using AI in organisations.”
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All four new Companions of the Order Australia are university staff, chemical engineer David Boger (Uni Melbourne), UTS chancellor Catherine Livingstone, Uni Queensland criminologist, Lorraine Mazerolle and Deborah Terry – Uni Queensland VC
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The bill enacting recommendations of Margaret Sheil and colleagues’ review of the Australian Research Council Act is through the Reps and with a Senate committee, but it could be out of date already.
In a submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee the Australian Technology Network lobby argues that the (now imminent) Universities Accord, “ought to engender significant reforms of the system.” Accordingly ATN calls on the committee to recommend, “a 12 month review of this legislation and its implementation and operation … specifically, how (it) may intersect with the Accord Panel’s recommendations and the government’s response regarding research funding and the establishment of a tertiary education commission and its remit.”
It’s a contrast with submissions that assume the objective of the bill is to improve ARC operations in the existing operating environment, specifically which institutions qualify to compete for research funding – which raises the question, what does the ATN suspect is in the Accord that has not occurred to others?
Given the research community is pretty pleased with the Sheil Review, the general tenor of most responses is that the Bill is not bad, although operational improvements are suggested. Science and Technology Australia calls for successful applicants to be notified within three weeks. And, who would have thought, the ARC needs more money for programmes. Universities Australia suggested adding an indexation factor to the bill.
And while there is general acceptance that ministers should not butt out of grant approvals altogether, there is agreement that the less power they have to butt in, the better.
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Now departed (personal matter) Australian Research Council head Judi Zielke was big on customer service, which continues with Chief Research Officer Christina Twomey explaining the new application process for 2025 Discovery Grants. Once this would have been set out in a bureaucratic document but Professor Twomey is on YouTube, explaining how the new first stage, an expression of interest, will work. “You have to develop this as a pitch,” is the key message.
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It took Australian Catholic U a year to announce it owes 1100 former and present casual sessional academics staff a total of $3.6m for work when they were not paid the enterprise agreement rate, from 2016-23. The university cites people not receiving the PhD and/or lecturer in charge rates as the cause. Shortfalls in the School of Allied Health were identified in late ’22, with a “broader assessment” last year.
It appears a case of management not knowing what is in its’ enterprise agreements. ACU states, “due to its complexity, ACU has sought expert independent advice.”
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MYEFO was a magic pudding where the government did the cutting to regional and applied research programmes, but gave big slices to commercial R&D investors. The Regional Research Collaboration Programme is shut down, saving $56.3m through to 2027-28. And $46.7m is cut from the Economic Accelerator. MYEFO estimates Research and Development Tax Incentive payments will increase by $462m in 2023–24 and $2.1bn to 2026–27. In an announcement of the obvious, this is “due to increases in the number and value of expected claims in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services sector, including in biomedicine biomedicine, and the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms.”
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The National Health and Medical Research Council chose Christmas Week to advise researchers not to use the “forced swim test” and “smoke inhalation procedures” in rodent models. There is no mention of who is, or has been, using the tests with NHMRC money, which may be how the council wants it to stay, referring to “reported ethical, welfare and scientific concerns.”
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While the O’Kane Accord was not released by year end as long expected, there are new indications of what might be among its 47 recommendations, including money in MYEFO for, “consultation” on degree-level apprenticeships, in priority areas, “net zero transformation, the care sector and advanced digitalisation.” There is also “scoping work on approaches to mitigate financial hardship on tertiary students completing mandatory unpaid placements in care and teaching professions.”
But why the Accord delay? In November, State ministers were harumphing about universities making UG offers ahead of ATARS, and “poaching” was mentioned. So Education Minister Jason Clare lowered the inter-states temperature by asking Professor O’Kane and colleagues to recommend a national approach. Release is expected later in February.
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The National Health Medical Research Council announces $15m for translating proof of concept research into commercial outcomes. It’s from the Development Grant Scheme, which sounds like it could come from the Medical Research Future Fund, but apparently cannot.
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Uni Canberra VC Paddy Nixon announced January 17 he was out, effective immediately for “personal reasons” and was taking a “career break.” DVC R Lucy Johnston is acting. Professor Nixon did not quite make it to four years as VC – like his predecessor, Deep Saini, who resigned to take up a VC appointment in Canada after three-and-a-half.
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Jason Clare talks a big game on support for students but sometimes is more economic in outcomes – the new requirements for universities to assist struggling students are not as tough as they started.
In August the Education Minister had legislation abolishing the coalition policy requiring them to pass 50 per cent of subjects to keep a funded place. It also required universities to provide and report new student support measures (Future Campus August 23). Complex and expensive measures, including an $18 000 fine, which universities did not like at all – the University of Sydney submission to a Senate inquiry politely makes its contempt plain (Future Campus September 6).
All of which will have worked for Minister Clare, winning approval from those who work on the assumption that student assistance measures that universities oppose will be good things.
Problem was, what the government proposed would add to universities bureaucratic burden, meddle with academic independence and duplicate existing practises.
The learned Andrew Norton was, as ever, across the detail, “create duplication and confusion” was his judgement.
And so, just before Christmas a new policy was introduced – the 50 per cent pass requirement is gone but instead of tough measures to assist struggling undergrads, providers must have a student support policy, which Opposition education shadow Sarah Henderson argues, “fails to deliver any additional support for students.”
This is a win-win for Mr Clare. He gets points with university and student lobbies by abolishing the 50 per cent pass rule, plus pats on the back from university managements by not proceeding with the original onerous requirements, which nobody much else noticed has not happened.
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The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency wants to know how institutions are, “responding to the risks of generative AI” but wait to be asked – TEQSA will be in touch in June.
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The Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics (Uni Sydney) and the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority announced a partnership last month, to create “training and career opportunities” for health researchers. It will include a PhD programme. The timing was terrific, the previous day the National Disability Insurance Scheme Review recommended IHACPA take over advising on NDIS costs.
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Every VC wins a prize. Peter Høj and David Lloyd are jointly in 9th spot on The Advertiser’s top 50 South Australians, for selling the idea of merging Uni Adelaide and Uni SA and now planning it. Flinders U VC Colin Stirling also gets a mention in the blurb, for naming rights on a new city office block and “world-leading nuclear degrees.”
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The entrepreneur start-up year took a while to pass through parliament – with the Senate in particular suggesting changes to what Opposition education shadow Sarah Henderson suggested was “a thought bubble” from Industry and Science Minister, Ed Husic. But it is a happening thing with 11 universities announced to run pilots this year, Charles Sturt, Curtin, Flinders, La Trobe, QUT, RMIT, Swinburne, UNSW, Uni Queensland, Western Sydney. There’s also a working group, “to monitor … implementation and operation, “ (in this week’s Appointments, Achievements).
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Education and VET ministers Jason Clare and Brendan O’Connor announce a “consultation” to “inform the business case” for a post-secondary “skills passport,” which “could allow individuals to upload and share their skills and qualifications.”
The previous government seemed to think the case was made, with development funding in the 2019-2020 budget and promising a $5m trial by the Australian Technology Network universities just before the last election. The My eQuals consortium of all ANZ universities suggests it is the foundation for a national credentials platform. It has already issued statements of 8 million Australia Qualification Framework credentials and micro-credentials.
So what’s to discuss?
Perhaps devil is in the cross-sector details – the consultation paper for submissions to the current skills passport discussion makes no mention of My eQuals.
And maybe the experience of the group working on the National Credentials Platform. Back in 2020 the (NSW) Universities Admissions Centre, Higher Education Services (Universities Australia owned and the Myequals developer) and the Commonwealth Department of Education promised to deliver, “verifiable credentials … using an app on a smart phone or other device, you can store, share and manage all your qualifications and accomplishments in one place.” This was supposed to happen in December 2021 but at least UAC does have a product called CredNet, “a verifiable credentials platform for lifelong learning and employment.”
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Federation U’s TAFE division announces certificates 3 and 4 in medicinal cannabis cultivation and production, starting next year. The Victorian government kicked in $1.6m, although for what is not stated.
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Uni Adelaide has an update of its student recruitment campaign, “make history at the University of Adelaide.” Advertising which itself will soon be history, with a new brand needed when UoA merges with Uni SA to become Adelaide Uni. How the two brands are presented as one in 2026 will be interesting, almost as interesting as what Flinders’ U does in the new two-brand market. Maybe it could go all-Avis, with a “we try harder” campaign.
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Australian Research Council staff are as happy as is the norm for public servants. A substantial 70 per cent of them responded to the 2023 employee census, with an overall positive engagement score of 69 per cent, just 3 per cent under the all of Commonwealth public service figure.
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Deakin U announces it has Indonesian Government approval to open a branch campus in Bandung, Indonesia. It’s a partnership with the UK’s Lancaster U. Navitas will manage support services, including recruitment, but Deakin subjects will be taught by Deakin-employed staff.
The two universities will each offer five Bachelor degrees in Business and IT, taught in English, with two semesters of study abroad available. Classes are scheduled for September.
There is no mention of student numbers or budgets.
Deakin U’s India campus starts is set to start teaching in July.
