From the Vice-Chancellor: Someone's listening

From the Vice-Chancellor

Is it just me, or is the Federal Government actually paying attention to higher education?

Universities had become so used to being treated as second rate by the previous government that it now comes as something of a surprise when the current government says: "We hear you, and we are going to do something about it."

Back in November 2007 - on the eve of the federal election - I wrote in this very publication: "University education and research has never been as important to Australia's future as it is today. Whichever government Australia ends up with after the election, that government needs to fully understand the role of higher education in dealing with current issues faced by our nation, as well as preparing us for the many issues that are yet to be identified."

It seems the Rudd Government agrees.

Some recent announcements by the government offer hope and promise for the future of higher education in Australia - and by that, I mean the future of education, research and innovation, which are so vital to the nation's prosperity.

Last month, Education Minister the Hon. Julia Gillard announced that funding for student load would become demand-driven by 2012, with the removal of "artificial caps" and "rationing" of places. This is something I've been supporting for many years. It heralds a new opportunity for universities such as ours to offer a quality educational experience to a greater number of students, and to match our programs to student and employer requirements.

There will also be incentive to ensure that students disadvantaged by location or socio-economic status will be given appropriate opportunities. This is vital if Australia is to get the greatest benefit from its intellectual capital.

The issue of quality has factored heavily into the government's response to the Bradley Review, and this is something the University of Adelaide supports. I've long been an advocate of quality processes underpinning everything we do; such processes, if handled correctly, can only encourage universities to seek continuous improvement in all our activities.

In the same week, the Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr, gave a very telling speech in which he acknowledged that the full cost of research must be addressed. This is another issue that the Group of Eight (Go8) universities - including the University of Adelaide - have been telling the government for years. Yet it is an issue that, until now, has been ignored by the decision-makers in Canberra.

The following week, Senator Carr gave another speech in which he outlined the government's "ambition" to "progressively address the gap in funding for the indirect costs of research, subject to the capacity of future budgets".

Note the cautious wording. Nevertheless, he said: "Our aim is to put university research on a sustainable footing and ensure that the community gets the highest possible dividend on its investment in research projects."

In return, universities will need to provide more meaningful data on research costs, which will help the government to better understand exactly how much money is spent on research.

The University of Adelaide believes not only in full funding of research, but also, like other Go8 universities, we believe that such funding should be transparent, with reporting on the use of funds for direct and indirect costs, and with a benchmarking process for quality. Such a system should result in vast improvements in Australia's ability to conduct world-class research.

With more detail of these and other initiatives to be announced during the Federal Budget in May, it will be interesting to find out just how much the government has been listening... but these announcements are already a step in the right direction.

PROFESSOR JAMES A. McWHA
Vice-Chancellor and President