http://www.nteu.org.au/news/current/bradley_recommends_6billion_un
17 December 2009
The National Tertiary Education Union today welcomed the release by the Minister for Education Julia Gillard, of the final report of the Review of Australian Higher Education.
“The report’s recommendations for significantly increased public investment for both teaching and research in higher education are strongly supported by NTEU. The proposed injection of nearly $6 billion over 4 years will go a long way to improving the quality and accessibility of universities after 15 years of neglect. The importance of regionally based and outer metropolitan universities is recognised and the report’s specific recommendations will help promote the future viability of regional Australia.”
“NTEU is encouraged that the Minister has indicated that the Government’s response to the Report will be based on the core principles of opportunity for all, access based on merit and not ability to pay and maintenance of academic freedom and institutional autonomy,” Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU National President, said today.
“The Union strongly supports recommendations for improved student income and scholarship support. Increased educational opportunity is critical to improving workforce participation and productivity, especially among those who are seeking a second chance education. Indigenous education and participation is an important example”, said Dr Allport.
One of the important issues identified in the report is that of recruitment and retention of academic staff within universities.
“We look forward to working with both Government and individual universities to help develop strategies to overcome impending staffing shortages including policies aimed at increasing the number of home-grown academics, training more postgraduate students, improving the relative attractiveness of working conditions, and providing greater job security and flexibility in working arrangements.”
“The proposed student demand driven model needs further consideration. The introduction of such a model may undermine the viability of the provision of less popular, high cost and nationally important education programs in science, mathematics and languages”, said Dr Allport.
NTEU strongly opposes any re-introduction of full-fees for domestic undergraduate students as proposed in the Report, which runs contrary to the Minister’s decision earlier in 2008 to phase out such full fee places.
“Public universities must serve the public good, and should not be given the choice of admitting some of their students on a full-fee basis and others as government-supported students”, said Dr Allport.
The new funding arrangements have the potential to disadvantage universities compared to private, non university providers who do not have the same research and community service obligations. A good case has not been made to subsidise these private providers.
Contact: Dr Carolyn Allport, President NTEU 0419 349 064
Paul Kniest 0418 170 622
http://www.nteu.org.au/news/current/bradley_recommends_6billion_un
19 December 2008
18 December 2008
Judge accused of attacking freedom of speech
The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/national/judge-accused-of-attacking-freedom-of-speech-20081217-70sp.html?page=-1
by Paul Austin
December 18, 2008
THE chancellor of Victoria University has been accused of undermining free speech after using the State Government solicitor to threaten to sue a senior academic for defamation.
Government solicitor John Cain jnr has sent a letter on behalf of the chancellor, Supreme Court judge Frank Vincent, to James Doughney, a member of the university's governing council, demanding he withdraw and apologise for an attack on Victoria University chiefs over their plan to slash hundreds of jobs.
Justice Vincent last night defended his decision to engage the government solicitor, and dismissed Dr Doughney's assertion that his academic freedom was under attack.
The Age revealed in October that Dr Doughney, an economist and state president of the National Tertiary Education Union, had sent a six-page paper to state and federal MPs accusing the university's vice-chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Harman, of manufacturing a cash crisis to justify cutting about 270 jobs. Mr Cain's three-page letter to Dr Doughney, dated December 12, says his statements were false and defamatory.
He accuses Dr Doughney of breaching the council's code of conduct, which requires members to "desist from intimidation in any form in connection with the role of the council".
"My instructions are to require you to publish an apology and withdrawal of the false and defamatory allegations that you have made, directed particularly against the vice-chancellor," Mr Cain writes.
"Otherwise, I am instructed that the chancellor and the vice-chancellor reserve their rights."
Dr Doughney, the elected academic staff representative on the council, said yesterday it was extraordinary that the chancellor had engaged the government solicitor in a bid to "gag" an academic expressing legitimate views about university governance.
"This action is at odds with any concept of critical inquiry, debate, argument, logic and freedom of speech that you would think is associated with places of learning like universities," he told The Age.
"If you disagree with each other, argue the toss - don't throw attempted legal gags at your critics."
Dr Doughney said it was critical that debates about community institutions such as universities be conducted in public.
"They are not private corporations and they are not personal fiefdoms," he said. "They are public assets."
He said Justice Vincent needed to recognise the university was not a court of law, but a "learning community where you are going to get arguments and different interpretations".
"My view is simple: get used to it," he said.
Asked whether he would withdraw and apologise, as demanded by the university chiefs, Dr Doughney replied: "They have got to be joking. I stand by my criticisms and I'm prepared to fight this all the way."
Justice Vincent said last night the legal letter was sent on advice from senior counsel that Dr Doughney's statements were defamatory.
"The action that was taken reflects the concern occasioned by the nature of the attack made upon the vice-chancellor by Dr Doughney and the responsibility of council members," he said.
"Victoria University unequivocally supports and upholds the fundamentally important principle of academic freedom. However, it is patently clear from Dr Doughney's comments themselves and the context in which they were made that no question of the restriction of its expression arises in the present situation."
Dr Doughney's attack on Professor Harman was prompted by her announcement in October of a six-month program of forced and voluntary redundancies to "rebalance" the budget and "future-proof" the university.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/judge-accused-of-attacking-freedom-of-speech-20081217-70sp.html?page=-1
http://www.theage.com.au/national/judge-accused-of-attacking-freedom-of-speech-20081217-70sp.html?page=-1
by Paul Austin
December 18, 2008
THE chancellor of Victoria University has been accused of undermining free speech after using the State Government solicitor to threaten to sue a senior academic for defamation.
Government solicitor John Cain jnr has sent a letter on behalf of the chancellor, Supreme Court judge Frank Vincent, to James Doughney, a member of the university's governing council, demanding he withdraw and apologise for an attack on Victoria University chiefs over their plan to slash hundreds of jobs.
Justice Vincent last night defended his decision to engage the government solicitor, and dismissed Dr Doughney's assertion that his academic freedom was under attack.
The Age revealed in October that Dr Doughney, an economist and state president of the National Tertiary Education Union, had sent a six-page paper to state and federal MPs accusing the university's vice-chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Harman, of manufacturing a cash crisis to justify cutting about 270 jobs. Mr Cain's three-page letter to Dr Doughney, dated December 12, says his statements were false and defamatory.
He accuses Dr Doughney of breaching the council's code of conduct, which requires members to "desist from intimidation in any form in connection with the role of the council".
"My instructions are to require you to publish an apology and withdrawal of the false and defamatory allegations that you have made, directed particularly against the vice-chancellor," Mr Cain writes.
"Otherwise, I am instructed that the chancellor and the vice-chancellor reserve their rights."
Dr Doughney, the elected academic staff representative on the council, said yesterday it was extraordinary that the chancellor had engaged the government solicitor in a bid to "gag" an academic expressing legitimate views about university governance.
"This action is at odds with any concept of critical inquiry, debate, argument, logic and freedom of speech that you would think is associated with places of learning like universities," he told The Age.
"If you disagree with each other, argue the toss - don't throw attempted legal gags at your critics."
Dr Doughney said it was critical that debates about community institutions such as universities be conducted in public.
"They are not private corporations and they are not personal fiefdoms," he said. "They are public assets."
He said Justice Vincent needed to recognise the university was not a court of law, but a "learning community where you are going to get arguments and different interpretations".
"My view is simple: get used to it," he said.
Asked whether he would withdraw and apologise, as demanded by the university chiefs, Dr Doughney replied: "They have got to be joking. I stand by my criticisms and I'm prepared to fight this all the way."
Justice Vincent said last night the legal letter was sent on advice from senior counsel that Dr Doughney's statements were defamatory.
"The action that was taken reflects the concern occasioned by the nature of the attack made upon the vice-chancellor by Dr Doughney and the responsibility of council members," he said.
"Victoria University unequivocally supports and upholds the fundamentally important principle of academic freedom. However, it is patently clear from Dr Doughney's comments themselves and the context in which they were made that no question of the restriction of its expression arises in the present situation."
Dr Doughney's attack on Professor Harman was prompted by her announcement in October of a six-month program of forced and voluntary redundancies to "rebalance" the budget and "future-proof" the university.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/judge-accused-of-attacking-freedom-of-speech-20081217-70sp.html?page=-1
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