By Marina Cameron
Submissions to the federal government's West review into higher education have begun. Any alternative view is being drowned out with calls for universities to develop strategies to cope with further funding cuts, be more competitive, make closer links with industry, consider students as "consumers" and serve the needs of business in terms of graduates and research.
The former head of the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, David Phillips, on March 19 called for closer alliances between media companies and universities. Phillips predicted further cuts to government funding.
Closer alliances with media groups would make possible such things as a pay TV university or "virtual universities" (where companies such as Microsoft might be allowed to offer accredited tertiary qualifications through the internet).
University administrations are already considering teaching some courses via the internet rather than paying staff. A research group has been commissioned and will report to the West review in August.
On March 17, the vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Gavin Brown, called for universities to break out of a reluctance to market themselves aggressively, particularly now that they can offer places to undergraduate students willing to pay full fees. Several universities, such as Flinders University and the University of Tasmania, have rejected this option, feeling less able to participate in the major marketing war which will take place between the older, better known universities.
West believes that there is too much duplication of subjects and has called for the re-founding the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission to regulate this across institutions.
The National Tertiary Education and Industry Union is suspicious of such a move, fearing that it might be used to accredit private institutions and implement quality assurances as a prerequisite for funding to public institutions. This would accelerate the move towards a two-tier university system because the bigger, more established (and, in the future, private) universities will be more able to maintain quality while federal funding is cut.
The number of private providers of higher education is likely to increase. Bond University is arguing that its students should be allowed into the HECS scheme or that a voucher system be introduced, in which students purchase vouchers to spend at the (public or private) institution of their choice. The other option is that public subsidies be extended to private institutions.
Roderick West stated on March 19 in the Australian that he wants the review committee to bear the brunt of the tough funding debate since the government "hasn't got the time for it anyway".
But Resistance national coordinator Sean Healy said, "This review is little more than a distraction. The government isn't really listening to what is being discussed, and the whole process is questionable because of the lack of staff and student input.
"We intend to keep building the campaign for a free, quality and accessible higher education system."