Time for a change (in the university sector): Chubb

WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2008

Australia must abandon its approach to university funding or risk falling further behind the rest of the world, the Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University will warn in a wide-ranging address about the future of the tertiary education sector.

Professor Ian Chubb will suggest some fundamental reforms to the nation’s tertiary education policy framework in a speech to the Australia and New Zealand School of Government in Canberra tonight.

Professor Chubb said the change of Federal Government presents an opportunity to move away from the core of the old Dawkins reforms of the 1980s.  While these have served a purpose, the time has come for there to be real change – to the core. 

Over the years we have had change from-time-to-time, some even sizeable, but the core remained the same, Professor Chubb said.  We need to recognise inter-institutional differences through compacts and other sensible arrangements. The present system has resulted in a downward levelling of tertiary sector. Instead, the Government should bring in quality mechanisms that elevate education and research performance while recognising that different universities have different strengths.

He will also call for:

Linking compact funding to verified research quality in order to shore up Australia’s research capacity, by focusing investment in areas of best performance.

A ‘hubs and spokes’ approach to research funding, which would allow academics to conduct important research in connection with key centres, regardless of the strengths of their home institution 

Customised block grants that reflect the true operating costs of universities with accountability for outcomes 

A more holistic, cross-sector approach to higher education policy development that considers things like trends in demand and supply, incentives for education and employment, employer requirements, and input from business and unions

The creation of a minimum acceptable standard for a degree, and benchmarks for differences in performance standards achieved by graduates 

The full speech is available here as a PDF.

ANU Media Office: Jane O’Dwyer 0416 249 231, Simon Couper 0416 249 241