Major Deregulation of Universities Imminent
5 March 2005
It has been evident for some time that major changes are taking
place in Australian higher education, and this week's release by Dr
Nelson of 'Building University Diversity' has confirmed the scale
of change that is being contemplated.
Just as at other times deregulation to open up international
competition has impacted on the banking system and the clothing and
sugar industries, it now seems the time has come for universities
also to face some challenging global realities.
Dr Nelson introduces his paper by saying that there will be a
continued growth in higher education, amidst a 'revolution in
telecommunications', and 'the need for lifelong learning'.
This is a context where there is a need for a 'diverse range of
higher education institutions servicing different communities'.
Questions are raised in the paper about whether the Australian
university system is diverse enough, or whether it is simply
thirty-seven public variations on a one-size-fits-all model.
It is stated in the issues paper that private institutions,
including those from overseas, encouraged by various free trade
agreements, will seek to operate within Australia. Under the
current reforms, already this year thirty new higher education
providers are being approved, and some will then move to seek
university status to give them an extra marketing edge. Yet they
may be devoid of the research and a broad range of disciplines, for
example, that have characterised Australian universities to
date.
Both Britain and Australia are moving inexorably toward a US
system even though historical origins, funding arrangements,
private sponsorship and status considerations have evolved in quite
different ways in our different cultures.
It is likely that the National Protocols that define and protect
the use of the term 'university' will be changed, to allow for
greater diversity, including teaching-only universities.
At USC, we have had to compete, and have done so highly
successfully, across the last decade, though emphatically in the
current system it has not been a level playing field. But then,
open competition is rarely about level playing fields.
We have been given significant growth across the next four years
or so, and we now have to enhance our competitiveness,
distinctiveness, quality and performance to be able to compete in
this evolving global sector, where there will be little scope for
the weak or complacent.
The challenge for many universities like ours will be to
configure their futures with their local communities as a platform
for international activity. Just as the sandstones have a head
start on us in research and status, so we have a head start on any
new competitors.
All of us hope, I think, that in this new future the term
'university' will continue to reflect Australia's highest academic
standards. Some commercial exploits of existing universities have
raised questions about quality in recent years, and it is to be
hoped that any likely reforms and increased providers don't further
threaten the universities' generally enviable reputations in
Australia.
It will be interesting to see how the changes will be discussed
in the months ahead but no one should be under any illusion about
the certainty of change. It is only the scale that is at issue.
Professor Paul Thomas is Vice-Chancellor of University of
the Sunshine Coast