There was outrage on Sky News the other day, about Australian Research Council humanities grants. For one moment Julie Kalman (Monash U) could have thought she had the cash to open another theme-park on her subject, being reported as having $216m to research “Asterix and the making of modern France: the creation of a national myth.” Sadly, as was soon pointed out she scored but $216,000. This did not quelle the horreur, the principle, not the decimal being the point.
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Last week the imminent Adelaide University was not telling how much inaugural VC Nicola Phillips would be paid, “as she has not commenced in the role yet, so it would be inappropriate to share those details,” was why. But a week is a long time in issues-management, and on Wednesday AU announced her base would be $963,000 with a ceiling of $1.13m. This is a less than her predecessors, Peter Høj (Adelaide U) and David Lloyd (Uni SA) made, but in Llloyd’s case, at least he started on less and was incentivised up as he made targets.
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Economic history is widely considered dead in Australia but Alex Millmow (Federation U) and John King (La Trobe) did not get the funeral notice. They have just published a new article on “post Keynesianism” in Australia. Want to understand where the prime minister’s plans for a command-and-control public-service state comes from? Start here
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Last week in Reps Question Time Nicolette Boele (Ind, NSW) asked the Education Minister about “distraught students” who had told her their “degrees are being discontinued midway through them. Charging for services not delivered in any other context would be called a scam” she said. Jason Clare politely answered that in such cases courses are taught-out or an alternative offered. “Never,” as Mark Twain nearly said, “let the facts get in the way of a good question.”
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The National Health and Medical Research Council mentions research integrity 48 times in its new corporate plan but mentioning is not acting. As to what will be done in the next year, “together with the Australian Research Council, we will continue to engage the research community in a dialogue on strengthening confidence in the integrity of Australian research and fostering public trust in science.” But wait! There’s more – and it is equally ineffectual, the council will, “progress discussion about potential reform of the national research integrity framework, as well as updating NHMRC specific policies and processes to bolster the management of research integrity matters.” And then there is the Australian Research Integrity Committee (the creature of the NHMRC and the ARC) which does not much, reviewing the processes research institutions use in their own integrity investigations.
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Open Access Australasia (“research outputs open to all”) backs the librarians taking on the for-profit journal giants. In July, the Council of Australasia University Librarians announced a united front with peak university lobbies for negotiations with four of the big five, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, Springer Nature, and John Wiley. OAA wants “transparent and fair” prices and for authors to retain all rights. CAUL has previously negotiated capped “free to read” agreements for articles by researchers at Australian universities with publishing charges absorbed in subscription agreements. Making all downloads fee-free is expected to be a target in existing talks.
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Uni NSW announces David Gonski’s 350-year term as chancellor concludes at year end, but there is no word of a successor in the long statement of thanks. So, on the principle that the only thing nearly as ex as an ex is an imminent ex, FC asked who is next. To which the university responded if there is no appointment or announcement when Gonksi goes, Deputy Chancellor Warwick Negus will act.
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The National Health and Medical Research Council allocates $3m each for 24 Centres of Research Excellence for health policy and practice. Uni Melbourne, Uni Queensland and Uni Adelaide have three each, Monash U, Uni Sydney, UNSW and Walter and Eliza Hall all get two. Six other universities score one, as does the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
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James Cook U will move nursing courses from its suburban campus to join later-year medicine and dentistry at its flash new CBD-site, near the city’s hospital. The move gives it an edge on recent arrival, CQU – just not a long one. Central Queensland U teaches nursing at its Cairns campus, a 20-minute waterfront stroll from the hospital. For decades Cairns was a one-university town – remarkable what competition can achieve.
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The Senate committee inquiring into university governance takes evidence in Sydney on Monday. It is likely to be way more sedate than the last hearing where ANU staff and students sailed, as in hoisted every complaint they had, into university management over the present restructure.
Officials from UTS and Uni Wollongong, which both have savings plans, are appearing Monday but no staff or students from the three. The session to watch will be the history-making first committee outing for ATEC with Interim Chief Commissioner Mary O’Kane and colleagues appearing.
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Skills Minister Andrew Giles spoke to his core constituency the other day, the Australian Education Union’s TAFE Council. “It’s wonderful to be here to celebrate the fantastic work that the AEU does: to advocate for our amazing TAFE teachers, for TAFE institutes, and for how we can continue to make TAFE even better … TAFE unlocks new opportunities that can set people up for life.” he said.
So, how’s the setting-up going with Fee Free TAFE? Splendidly, according to Mr Giles. Since it started in 2023 there are 650,000 enrolments and 170,000 course completions to March. Which could be great, although it is hard to tell without overall numbers on attrition, study areas and qualification level. Whatever stats the Minister was citing, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research did not have them to quote in its release last week of voced student data. The announcement pointed readers to a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations page from February.
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The NSW workplace safety regulator has ordered UTS to stop its restructure savings plan, including proposed job cuts until SafeWork is satisfied with protections against psychological risk to staff are in-place. The National Tertiary Education Union and its pals in the press were gleeful Wednesday but UTS responded that the risk is not down to them. “The need to reduce expenditure is necessary as we have had deficits for five years and our revenue does not cover our ongoing operating cost. …We are aware of staff expressing concerns about the effect these protracted delays are having on their wellbeing. “
It puts in the pale a much smaller UTS win. It is not accepting first year enrolments in 140 courses for 2026 while the restructure dispute with the NTEU is underway. The union asked the Fair Work Commission to order UTS to drop the course suspension. The Commission declined, but it is not over yet; the union has a second dispute in the system which is said to have a better chance of success.