The quality of teaching and research at Australian universities are under threat according to the president of the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, Professor John Niland.
The reason is that the universities are entering the third round of enterprise bargaining with no extra money from the Government, other than the tiny safety-net adjustment. The results will be drastic for Australian universities. Some universities will be faced with the prospect of reducing staff to pay for the higher salaries of those that remain. Other universities will offer smaller pay rises with the result that they will lose quality staff, tragically many staff will be tempted to overseas to seek more reasonable pay.
It is a foolish false economy to squeeze the universities this way. A brain drain from Australia in the long-run will be far more costly than giving adequate public support to the universities. People who have been educated in Australia at great cost will leave and people with much to offer Australia will leave unless rewards in Australia — both pay and research opportunity — are at reasonable levels.
These are not huge demands — unlike the gross pay rises being offered to public service department heads. Academics usually prize research opportunity over pay and are not hugely obsessed by money, and certainly not to the extent of the corporate world. But there is a limit and poor conditions make it easier for overseas universities to tempt our talent away.
There is also a limit to the commercial capacity of universities to raise money through fees. The Government must recognise that education is a core function of government not to be shirked. Sir Robert Menzies recognised the need for strong federal government involvement in university funding. John Howard should continue the job.