1988-89 cabinet paper 5890

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CABINETIN O

FIDEN E

44

opy No

C A B I N E T M I N U T E

Canberra, 26 Ju ly

1988

No. 11487

Submission

No.

5890

and Minute

Higher Education

Pol icy Statement

No.

11354

(SA)

The

Cabinet agreed tha t

: -

(a)

the

Pol icy

Statement

on Higher

Educat ion be

endorsed and

re leased;

(b) the f u l l

fee

overseas s tudent guide l ines be

amended to permit

i n s t i t u t i o n s

to

r e t a in the

f u l l

cap i t a l

element

o f

fees to

be

appl ied

to

cap i t a l works a t the

i ns t i tu t ion ;

and

(c)

the Austra l ian Nat iona l

Univers i ty

Canberra

College

o f Advanced Educat ion and

Canberra

I n s t i t u t e

of

the Arts be

consol ida ted to

form a

s ing le i n s t i t u t i on and

t ha t

the

Government s

i n t en t i on be conveyed

to

the

th ree


by the Minis ter for Employment, Educat ion

and

Train ing

fo l lowing publ ic r e l ease o f

the

Pol icy

Statement

on Higher Educat ion.

. . /2

This

docu

me

nt is t he

prope rty

of t he

u

stralian Governm ent a

nd

is

no

t

to

be copied

or

re pro

du

ced

CABINET IN CONFIDENCE

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CABIN E IN CON

Fl DENCE

2.

No. 11487

(Cont d )

2.

The

Cabinet

noted

: -

a )

t h a t the

Minis ter

for Employment, Educat ion and

Train ing

w i l l bring forward a r e l a t e d Submission

on

resources

for

higher

educa t ion

fo r the

1989-91 t r iennium;

(b)

the

outcome

of d i scuss ions between

the Minis ter

for Employment, Educat ion and Train ing , the

Min is te r

fo r Arts and Ter r i to r ie s , and

the

Min is te r

for Defence Science and Personnel

on

fu tu re arrangements

for

higher educat ion in t he

ACT;

c ) t h a t the

Aus t ra l i an Defence Force

Academy would

be

inc luded

in

new arrangements for

Aust ra l i an

Research Council ARC)

grant s ,

which

would

requi re the

t r a n s f e r

from the Defence por t fo l io

to

the

increased

RC re sea rch funds pool of

t he

same

proport ional cu t

in

funding

as

othe r

in s t i tu t ions ;

(d) tha t the Pol icy Statement

would

be

amended

to

c l a r i fy t ha t

sa l a ry f l e x i b i l i t y

chap te r

10 o f

the

Pol icy

Statement re fe r s )

wi l l have

only

l imi ted appl ica t ion ;

. . .

/3

This

document

is

the

property of

the

ustralian Government and is not to

e

copied

or reproduced

CABIN ET 1

N CON

Fl

DENCE

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CABINET

IN CON

Fl

DENCE

3.

No. 11487 (Cont d)

(e)

t ha t

re fe rence to

the

s ta tu to ry

obl iga t ions

of

h igher

educat ion

i n s t i t u t i ons

under

the

Aff i rmat ive Action

Act

1986

would be

included

in

the Pol icy

Statement;

( f )

t ha t of f i c i a l s

from

the

Departments of Finance

and Employment, Educat ion and Train ing would

discuss Finance concerns i n r e l a t i on to

measurement

of

unmet demand and s e l f -

accred i ta t ion of courses , with the

f ina l

form

of

the

re levant

sec t ions

of the

Pol icy Statement to

be s e t t l ed

by

the Minis te r for Employment,

Educat ion

and Train ing;

(g)

t ha t

re ference

t o ch i ld ca re provis ion in

Chapter o f the

Pol icy Statement be

amended to

r e f e r

to

the

provis ion

of addi t iona l

places in

off-campus chi ld ca re se rv i ces for

needy

s tudent s ;

and

(h) the des i rab i l i t y of encouraging a

grea t e r

consciousness

among

both

ind iv idua l s

and

indus t ry

in re la t ion

to

p r iva t e endowments

for

higher educat ion

i n s t i t u t i ons .

(This va r i e s Minute

No.

11354 (SA)

of

13

Ju ly

1988.)

Secre ta ry to

Cabinet

This document is the property of the ustralian

Government

nd is not to be copied or reproduced

CABINET I

CONFIDENCE

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Copy No

C B I N E T M I N U T E

St ruc tura l

Adjustment Committee

Canberra,

13

Ju ly 1988

No.

11354 SA)

Submission No.

5890

Higher Educat ion Pol icy Statement

2.

The Committee

agreed t ha t

: -

a ) the

Pol icy

Statement on Higher Educat ion be

endorsed

and re leased;

and

b)

the

f u l l

fee overseas

s tudent

gu ide l ine s be

amended to permit


to

r e t a i n

the

f u l l

cap i t a l

element o f

fees

to

be appl ied

to

cap i t a l

works a t

the

i n s t i t u t i on .

a )

The

Committee

noted : -

t h a t

t he Min i s t e r for Employment, Educat ion and

Train ing wi l l bring

forward a re la ted

Submission

on resources for

higher educat ion

fo r the

1989-91 t r iennium;

2

This

document is the

property

of the ustralian Government and is

not

to be copied

or

reproduced


[4]

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CABINET.

IN C 0 N

FIDE

NCE

2.

No. 11354

(SA)(Cont d)

(b) the ac t ion proposed in

respec t of

Commonwealth

higher educa t ion

i n s t i t u t i ons ,

inc luding

a

par t icu la r

re ference

in the Pol i cy Statement to

amalgamation o f

the

Aus t ra l ian National

Univers i ty ,

the Canberra College o f Advanced

Education and

the

CT

In s t i t u t e

o f

Arts ,

subjec t

to

discuss ions

with

the

Minis te r

fo r Arts and

Ter r i t o r i e s ;

c) t ha t the Aust ra l ia

n

Defence Force Academy would

be included in new arrangements for Aust ra l ian

Research Council ARC)

grant s ,

which

would

require

the

t r ans fe r from the Defence

por t fo l io

to the increased RC re sea rch

funds

pool

of the

same

proport ional

cut

in

funding as

other

in s t i tu t ions ;

(d)

tha t

the

Pol icy

Statement would be amended to

c l a r i f y

t ha t

sa l a ry f l e x i b i l i t y chapte r 10 o f

the Pol icy

Statement re fe r s )

wi l l have only

l imi ted appl ica t ion ;

e )

tha t

reference to the

s ta tu to ry obl iga t ions

o f

higher

educat ion i n s t i t u t i ons under the

Affirmative Action

Act

1986 would be inc luded in

the Pol icy Sta tement ;

f ) tha t of f i c i a l s from the

Depar tments

o f Finance

and Employment , Educat ion

and

Train ing would

discuss Finance concerns

in

r e l a t i o n to

. . . /3

This document is the property of the ustralian Government nd is not to be copied or reproduced

CABINET I

N CO N

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CABINET

-IN-C

0 N

FIDE

NCE

Submission

No

.

FOR

CABINET

Copy

No

.

Title

Minister

Purpose/Issues

Relation to

existing policy

Sensitivity Criticism

Legislation

involved

Jency:

Lsl

tical significant

dates

sultation:

. M inisters/Depts

consulted

Is there

agreement?

Timing handling

of

announcement

Cost

CORRIGENDUM TO HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY

STATEMENT

The

Bon.

J S Dawkins

MP

Minister

for

Employment

Education

and

Training

12

July

988

add following new page 24 Attachment B.

Fin

Yr

Fin Yr Fin

Yr

his document is the property o the

ustralian

Government and is not to

be copied

or reproduced

CABINET

-IN-CO

NFIDEN E

I

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Title

Minister

Relation

to

existing

policy

Sensitivity Criticism

Legislation

involved

Urgency:

Critical/significant

dates

Consultation:

Ministers/Depts

consulted

s

there

agre-ement?

Timing/handling of

announcement

Cost

CABINET IN C

N

FIDE

NCE

Submission

No

.

5 ~ 1 0

FOR

C BINET

Copy No.

HIGHER

EDUCATION

POLICY

STATEMENT

The Hon. J .S. Dawkins

P

Minister

for

Employment

Education

and

Training

To obtain

Cabinet approval

for the release

of

a

Policy Statement

on Higher

Education.

The

release of nHigher Education:

A

Policy

Discussion Papern

as

the basis for

consultation

and

development

of

t is

Policy Statement

was

agreed

to by

Cabinet

on 8 December 1987 CD No.

10571).

Respondents in

the Policy

Discussion Paper

supported the

broad

directions of the

Governmen t s approach.

See paragraphs

2-5.

N/A

The

Policy

Discussion Paper announced the release

of the Policy Statement

by mid

1988.

Finance;

Prime Minister

and Cabinet;

Treasury;

Industry, Technology and

Commerce;

Industr ial

Relations; Primary Industry and Energy;

Arts,

Sport,

the Environment, Tourism and

Terri tor ies;

Defence;

Australian Science

and

Technology

Council;

Community Services

and

Health;

Affirmative

Action

Agency;

Immigration, Local

Government and Ethnic

Affairs .

No.

See

paragraph

15

and

Attachment

B

Policy Statement

to be released in week

beginning

25

July 1988

Fin

Yr

Fin

Yr

Fin

Yr

Nil

This

document

is

the

property o

the

ustralian

Government and

is

not

to be copied

or reproduced

CABINET

IN C

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C BINET IN CONFIDE CE

2.

B CKGROUND

The Pol i c y Statement de t a i l s the

pr inc ip l e s

underly ing t he

Government s plans fo r reform in higher educa t ion . Copies

have been lodged with

the

Cabinet Office and a re ava i l ab le

to Minis te r s on reques t . summary of the Pol icy Sta tement

i s a t Attachment A.

Some

minor dra f t ing changes s ince

lodgement may be necessa ry

and

w i l l be

author i sed

by me.

ISSUES FOR CONSIDER TION

2. The Pol i c y

Discuss ion

Paper, re leased in December 1987,

a t t r ac t ed

over

600 submissions and

responses

from


academics,

Sta t e governments , pro fess i ona l

bodies and

unions .

There

was s t rong support for

the

Government s proposals for growth and

equi ty .

Some

respondents

argued

fo r

these ob jec t ives

to

be s t rengthened

fu r the r .

3 . Where c r i t i c i s m occurred t re f l ec ted a percept ion

t h a t

the Government was over ly

concerned

with narrow

economic goals a t

the

expense of t r ad i t i ona l

scholarsh ip

o r

t he a r t s and

humani t ies ;

disagreement on p r i o r i t i e s ; some

ques t ioning

whether the

means

proposed

would

achieve

agreed

goal s .

4 .

The

dra f t

Statement

dea ls

with

these

concerns

by

ou t l in ing

a coherent

soc ia l and

educa t iona l

phi losophy

for

the

Governm ent s ac t ions .

This

framework emphasises the

cont r ibu t ioL

of

a l l d isc ip l ine s

to

the development of

a

more s k i l l ed popula t ion and i den t i f i e s soc ia l

and

cu l t u r a l

goa ls as wel l as those

which

r e l a t e d i r e c t l y

to economic

development and s t r uc t u r a l adjustment .

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C BINET INCO FIDE CE

3.

5 .

In

t he a rea s of

c re d i t

t r ans fe r , i n s t i t u t io n a l

conso l ida t ions

and

ex te rna l s tud ies , consu l ta t ions were

he ld with the Aust ra l ian

Vice-Chance l lors

Committee AVCC>,

t he

A us t ra l i an Committee of Direc tors and

Pr inc ip l e s

in

Advanced Educat ion ACDP>, academic

unions , the

CTU and

peak employer bodies .

In

each

case , the di rec t ions taken

in t he d ra f t Sta tement were agreed to be t he most

app rop r i a t e

ava i lab le

and suppor ted by a l l groups on t h a t

bas i s . The s t a f f i n g reforms proposed in the Po l icy

Discussion Paper

were

l a rge ly implemented as p a r t of the

second

t i e r

agreement fo r academic s t a f f .

6. The d r a f t Statement dea ls with t he

i s sues

of growth and

funding only in broad

te rms.

The proposals of

t he Wran

Committee on Higher Educat ion Funding and other funding

opt ions

w i l l

be

the sub jec t of a sepa ra t e Submission

with

t he Government s

i n t en t i ons

fo r the 1989-91 t r i enn ium to be

d e a l t

with in a plan fo r t he expansion of h igher educa t ion

fo r r e l ease in

the

Budget

context .

The

d ra f t

Sta tement

d o ~ s however, commit t he Government to a t l e a s t main ta in

t he

cu r r en t ,

1988,

funding

base

inc lud ing

p ipe l i ne

e f f e c t s

of growth in in takes

in

198g and e a r l i e r years .

7 .

The

Government s commitment to equ i ty i s

s p e l t

out in

r e l a t i o n

to the oppor tun i t i e s growth wi l l presen t fo r a

broader range of

Aust ra l ians

to share

in

t he benef i t s

of

h ighe r

educa t ion .

As

wel l

as

f i na nc i a l l y

disadvantaged

groups ,

Abor ig ina ls ,

women

and migrant

groups

inc lud ing

inadequate recogni t ion of overseas q u a l i f i c a t i o n s ) , the

need to improve t he low

l eve l s of

par t i c ipa t ion by people

from ru ra l areas i s acknowledged. National equ i ty

ob jec t ives

w i l l be publ ished

as

a

guide

to i n s t i t u t i o n s and

t he scope of cur ren t equ i ty programs inc reased .

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C BINET

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4.

8 . Support fo r growth w i l l be d i r ec t ed

to

those


which

choose

to jo in

the

new

uni f ied na t iona l

system. As

p a r t

of t h e i r app l i ca t i on to

j o in ,


w i l l need

to

make commitments on c r ed i t t r ans f e r ,

management, a common academic year and s t a f f i ng .

I n s t i t u t i ons w i l l

need

a sus ta inable s tudent load of a t

l e a s t 2000 Equiva lent

Ful l - t ime

Student Uni t s

funded for

course

development .

Other


w i l l be funded a t a reduced r a t e

to

o f f e r DEC courses .

11.

The d r a f t Statement supports the

d i r ec t ions

s e t out in

the Pol icy

Discuss ion

Paper

on

the equa l i s a t ion

of

the

base

l e v e l

of funding of i n s t i t u t i ons , r o l l i ng t r i enn i a and the

es tab l i shment of J o in t Planning

Committees with

t he

Sta t e s

to which Sta te Education Minis te r s have

agreed.

C BINET

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C BINET N CONFIDENCE

s.

12. The

Statement

ou t l ines measures to i nc rease t he

f l e x i b i l i t y i n s t i t u t i ons

have

in

managing t he i r

resources .

n important i s sue i s

the

requirement under

the

f u l l

fee

overseas

s tudent

guide l ines

to

remi t from 1989,

a

propor t ion of the c a p i t a l element of fees to t he

Commonwealth fo r r e d i s t r i b u t i o n for major cap i t a l works .

Allowing i n s t i t u t i ons

to

r e t a i n

these

resources

would

provide

an

i ncen t i ve

to

expand fu l l

fee

opera t ions . I

propose

to

amend t he guide l ines

to

enable


to

app ly

these

funds

to

major

c a p i t a l

works

pro jec t s .

There

i s no budgetary impact from

t h i s

proposal as any funds

remi t t ed

to

the

Government from 1989 would have been

re turned

to


for c a p i t a l works.

13.

The Comm onwealth s t r ea tment of ts own


must be cons i s t en t with the c o ~ s o l i d t i o n pr inc ip le s in the

Sta tement . The

Statement announces

t ha t the Government

w i l l

examine i n s t i t u t i ona l arrangements in t he

ACT.

This

examinat ion w i l l be under taken j o i n t l y with

the Mini s t e r

fo r

T er r i t o r i e s . I

have a l ready

rece ived a

review

of the

Aus t ra l i an Marit ime

College which ra i s e s

ts incorpora t ion

i n t o

one i n s t i t u t i o n in Tasmania.

I w i l l

r e l ea se t h i s

repo r t

shor t ly .

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

14. The re source

requirements

of t he higher educa t ion

sec to r

fo r

the 1989-91

t r iennium i s

t he sub j ec t

o f

a

sepe ra t e Submission.

CO ORDINATION

15.

All

Departments support

the

broad t h r us t of t he

submiss ion .

A

number,

however, have

made

comments

on

s p e c i f i c

i s sues . These

a re de ta i l ed

a t

Attachment

B.

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6.

RECOMMENDATIONS

16.

recommend t ha t Cabinet :

a)

agree

to the Pol icy Statement

on

Higher

Education and i t s re lease ;

b> note t ha t the Mini s t e r for Employment,

Education

and Train ing wi l l br ing forward a

r e l a t ed

submission

on

resources

for

higher

education

for

the

1989-91

t r iennium.

C ) agree to amend the fu l l

fee

overseas s tudent

guide l ines to permit i n s t i t u t i ons to r e t a in

the fu l l

cap i t a l element

of

fees to be

appl ied to cap i t a l works a t the i n s t i t u t i on ;

and

d> note the

ac t ion

proposed in

respec t

of

Commonwealth

higher

education i n s t i t u t i ons .

11

Ju ly

1988

J S Dawkins

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7 .

TT CHMENT A

HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY ST TEMENT SUMM RY

Background

This Pol i c y Sta tement se t s out t he

pr inc ip l e s

t ha t the

Government w i l l adopt fo r the

long- te rm development

of

A us t r a l i a s

h igher

educat ion system. t

i s an i n t e g ra l p a r t

of

t he Government s

wider agenda

fo r growth

and

q u a l i t y a t

a l l

l eve l s

o f

our

educat ion

and

t r a in ing system. As

a

s t ra tegy

for

the fu tu re , it

must be

viewed

aga i ns t

a background

of broad

community support fo r t he ob j ec t i ves ou t l i ned in Higher

Educat ion:

A

Pol ic

y

Discuss ion Pa

p

e r , ( the Pol icy Discuss ion

Paper>,

r e l eased

fo r publ ic

comment

in December 1988. In

pa r t i cu l a r , t he re was s t rong support fo r

the

Governm ent s

goals

o f

s ig n i f i c a n t

growth in the system

and a

broadening o f access

t o higher educat ion

by a

much

wide.r

range of Aus t ra l ians t han

has

been

the case to da t e .

2. The fu t u re d i r ec t ions s e t out in the Statement were

developed in

the

context of

a

coherent

soc ia l and

educa t iona l

phi losophy. Our higher educat ion i n s t i t u t i o n s cannot be

i s o l a t e d from

the

major changes occur r ing in

Aust ra l i an

soc ie ty

and

the

economy. They a re prime agents in t he process of

change, both th rough t h e i r teaching a c t i v i t i e s and th rough t h e i r

con t r i bu t i on

to

re sea rch

and

innovat ion .

While i n i t i a t i n g and

responding to

change, the higher educat ion system must a l so

prese rve the

bes t

of

its i nhe r i t ed

t r ad i t i ons . Freedom of

i nqu i ry and express ion , i n t e l l e c t u a l r i g o ~ r

a

broad spectrum of

teaching

and

research ,

and

the preserva t ion and

development

of

our na t iona l

cu l tu re and

i den t i t y

have

a l l been nur tured wi th in

our i n s t i t u t i ons .

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9 .

ATTACHMENT

A

7. Unmet demand

s

s t i l l a

major

problem. The Austral ian

Vice-Chancellors Committee and the Austral ian

Council

of

Directors

and Principles in Advanced Education

/

ACDP> estimate up to

2

qual i f ied people

were

unable

to gain entry to higher education a t

the

s t a r t of

the 1988

academic year. Around half of these were school leavers.

While

there

wi l l

be a drop in demographic pressures

from

young people in the early 1990s

th is

t rend

wil l

be

reversed by

the

end of the century. Increases in Year 12

re tent ion ra tes

wi l l

continue to create addi t ional

pressures as

wil l

greater demands for adul t t ra in ing and

re t ra in ing.

8.

Pr io r i ty in

the

al locat ion

of growth places in the

1989-91 t r iennium wil l be

directed

to

areas

of strong

demand

from

students and industry.

These

include

engineering information technology business

administra t ion

economics and

Asian

studies . In

.

consul ta t ion

with

the

Sta tes the

Government

has

established

a

disc ip l ine

review

of mathematics

and

science

teaching

to improve ra tes of t ransfer to technology-based

courses

part icular ly

by

g i r l s .

A

review

covering computer

service and information technology wil l also be conducted.

9.

Growth

wil l

require subs tant ia l addit ional

resources

for both

recurrent

funding and

to

meet the pressing capi ta l

needs

of the

system. The Government i s considering

the

recommendations

of the

Wran

Committee

on Higher Education

Funding. In

a plan

for the expansion of higher education

to

be re leased a t the time of the 1988 Budget the

Commonwealth wil l make a deta i led

statement on growth in

higher education

including specif ic

growth objectives

and

resource

requirements

for

the

1989-91

triennium.

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10.

TT CHMENT A

10. Those

groups which

have t r ad i t i ona l l y

not pa r t i c ipa ted

n

higher

educat ion

a re

a

major

source

of

new demand

fo r

higher educat ion. The achievement of grea te r equ i t y

and

access s heavi ly dependent on t he oppor t un i t i e s growth

w i l l presen t but

9rowth by

i t s e l f

w i l l

be

i n s u f f i c i en t .

Spec i f ic

s t r a t eg i e s w i l l

need to

be

implemented a t

t he

i n s t i t u t i ona l Sta t e

and na t i ona l

l eve l inc luding

improved

s t r a t eg i e s

by

a t

l e a s t some schools .

11. People

from

r u r a l

and

reg iona l Aust ra l i a a re a l so

a

po t en t i a l l y

s ig n i f i c a n t source

of growth. The t r ans f e r

r a t e s of

count ry school

l eave rs

i n to

higher

educat ion

a re

wel l

below

those of t h e i r metropol i tan counterpar t s . The i r

needs

and the s k i l l needs of the

primary

indus t ry sec to r

were

t aken

in to

account

n

developing the Statement and

a

fu r t h e r

s ta tement

on educat ion

and

t r a in ing fo r

r u r a l

and

r eg i ona l

Aus t r a l i a w i l l be

re leased

~ t e r

t h i s

year .

Unif ied Nat ional

System

12.

Support for growth and reform n higher

educat ion

w i l l

be based on the


t ha t jo in the un i f i ed na t iona l

system of h ighe r educa t ion . Many

ex i s t ing cons t r a in t s

on


w i l l be dispensed

with . I n s t i t u t i ons n the

un i f i ed na t iona l system wil l e s tab l i sh t he i r

own

p r i o r i t i e s

and

areas of exce l l ence

acc red i t t h e i r

own

courses

develop

a

broader base of funding suppor t and in t roduce

more f l ex ib le

s t a f f i ng

ar rangements . Unnecessary

r e s t r i c t i o n s

w i l l

be

l i f t e d n

areas such

as course

approva l sa la ry de te rmina t ion and

the

l e g i s l a t i ve

c o n ~ i t i o n s a t t ach i ng

to

the

use of Commonwealth gran ts .

The

Government

w i l l ensure t h a t


are f ree to

manage

t h e i r

own

re sources whi le a t

the same

t ime

remaining

accountable

fo r

t h e i r

dec is ions

and

ac t ions .

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11.

ATTACHMENT

A

13. The uni f ied na t iona l system

w i l l

need to develop

s t rong l i nks

with

t he

schools ,

TAFE

i ndus t ry

t r a i n in g

and

r ecu r ren t educat ion systems.

The ro le of

TAFE

in expanding

higher

educat ion

oppor tunt ie s w i l l be

t aken up with

t he

S ta t e s .

14. To j o in ,


w i l l be

requi red to have

a

minimum

sus ta inable s tudent

load

of

2000 EFTSU

and

wi l l -

need

to make a

formal app l i ca t i on

i nd ica t ing t h e i r

commitment

to

reform

in a

number of importan t areas

inc luding equi ty , c r ed i t t r ans f e r ,

a common

academic year

and

s t a f f i ng ,

and i

they

share adjacent

s i t e s ,

to combine

under a s ing le

management s t ruc tu re . The i n i t i a l

agreement

on c r ed i t t r ans f e r , w i ll commit i n s t i t u t i ons to guide l ines

designed to

a s s i s t

s tudents

to

rece ive

the maximum c r ed i t

fo r work

under taken e lsewhere

and to overcome t he ad hoc

and was te fu l na ture of

u r r e ~ t

arrangements .

15. Each i n s t i t u t i o n w i l l develop

an

educa t iona l pr o f i l e

to

def i ne i t s . b ro a d mission , and i d e n t i fy its s t rengths and

p r i o r i t i e s .

Agreement on

the pr o f i l e w i l l be

negot i a ted

w i th the Commonwealth and provide t he bas i s for t he

assessment

of resources needed

by

the i n s t i t u t i o n , and for

subsequent assessment

of

performance

aga i ns t

its agreed

ob jec t ives . The

pr o f i l e developed by an i n s t i t u t i o n w i l l

be

based on

and i n t e g ra l

t o ,

i t s own

planning processes .

16.

An educa t iona l pr o f i l e

w i l l conta in s ix

heads of

agreement . These

a re

a

descr ip t ion of the


miss ion

and objec t ives ; its proposed teaching

a c t i v i t i e s

inc luding commencements and

complet ions ; a

research

management plan;

a s ta tement

o f i n t en t

on

nat iona l

p r i o r i t i e s

inc luding equi ty ; de t a i l s of o t he r s ign i f i can t

a c t i v i t i e s ;

and approved funding l eve l s .

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12.

TT CHMENT

A

In s t i t u t i ona l St ruc t u res

17. The Government

i s

committed to

t he ob j ec t i ve o f

fewer

l a rg e r


which o f f e r s i g n i f i c a n t

educa t iona l

advantages

inc luding a grea te r range of course offe r ings to

s tudents . The minimum s i z e fo r pa r t i c ipa t ion in the

un i f i ed

na t iona l

system w i l l

be 2000

EFTSU. While t he re

w i l l always

be a

d i ve r s i t y of i n s t i t u t i ons the

Government

w i l l encourage those


with a

s tudent

load in

t he

2000-5000

EFTSU range

to

give

ser ious cons idera t ion to

t h e i r fu t u re

as independent

i n s t i t u t i ons . I n s t i t u t i ons i n

t h i s

ca tegory

cannot

e f f i c i e n t l y

support a comprehensive

t eaching and re sea rch

program

spread ac ross a broad

range

o f d i f f e r en t academic f i e lds . These d i f f i c u l t i e s ~ r e

s ubs t an t i a l l y reduced as an i n s t i t u t i o n grows

beyond

the

l eve l of 5000

EFTSU. At around

8000

EFTSU, t he re

i s t he

bas i s to provide a

wide range

of t eaching

programs

whi le

mainta ining

a

comprehensive

re sea rch

i n f r a s t ru c tu r e .

18:

A v a r i e ty

of consol ida t ion models w i l l

be

poss ib le .

For

reg iona l i n s t i t u t i ons in pa r t i cu l a r the

form

of

consol ida t ion adopted

should

be

appropr ia te

to

t he

ci rcumstances of the region concerned. The Government w i l l

not

support any proposals which

would

diminish prov i s ion o r

access i n r u r a l a reas and there w i l l be no campus

c losures .

19. The cos t

of

developing and de l ive r ing ex te rna l courses

i s

l e s s

per s tudent

than on

campus

provided economies

of

sca l e

a re

a t t a ined .

Ins t i tu t ions wi l l

be i nv i t ed to

t ender

to

become

one of

around s ix Distance Educat ion Centres

DECs>

funded for course

development .

~ h e r i n s t i t u t i ons

w i l l be funded a t a reduced r a t e

to

of f e r DEC courses .

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13.

ATTACHMENT A

Equity Strategies

20. The Commonwealth s aim ~ to ensure tha t

equity

objectives

become

an

integral

part

of higher education

management,

planning and

review.

nst i tu t ions wi l l be

asked to specify

appropriate equity

goals , s t ra tegies

and

measures of performance to meet both

nat ional

and regional

needs

within

the i r

educational

profi le

statements.

The

Government

wil l

develop

national

equi ty

objectives

as a

guide to ins t i tu t ions and future funding allocations wil l

have di rec t regard to

the

progress made by ins t i tu t ions

towards

the achievement of

agreed goals.

21. Some work has

already

commenced in th i s

area.

A Task

Force has been

establ ished

to develop a National Aboriginal

Education

Policy,

which

wil l

provide

a

framework

for

improving

the

par t ic ipa t ion of Aboriginal

people

in higher

education.

A

draf t National Policy

and

Plan of Action for

Women

wi l l

form a

basis for

the development of nat ional

objectives

for women in higher education.

22. The

Government

wil l continue to support specif ic

equity

programs which

encourage

innovation and

the

applicat ion of

proven approaches

towards

achieving

equity

goals.

The

scope

of the

Higher

Education Equity

Program

wi l l

be

increased

to include seeding grants . A chi ld care

component

wil l

be added to buy places in

exis t ing

community

based

chi ld care services. The Aboriginal Part ic ipat ion

ni t ia t ive

API> and Special Course Funding under ABSTUDY

wil l continue.

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14.

ATTACHMENT

A

Advisory

Arrangements

23. The Government

wil l

create

a more effec t ive operat ing

environment for ins t i tu t ions by providing

clear national

direct ion and co-ordinat ion. This wil l be

based

on an

independent advisory structure

and

agreed

consulta t ive

arrangements

with Sta te

and

Terr i tory

Governments.

24. At

the

Commonwealth level

the

National Board of

Employment

Education

and

Training

NBEET>,

i t s

Higher

Education

Council

HEC>

and the

Austral ian

Research

Council

have been establ ished

to

provide advice on nat ional

higher

education

object ives

and

pr io r i t i e s

and

general

resource

al locat ion

issues .

To

ensure

col laborat ion

between the Commonwealth and

the States

in general

higher

education planning a system of Joint Planning Committees

wil l .be

establ ished

to co-ordinate advice on Sta te

and

regional

higher education

needs.

Resources.

25. The

resource

a l loca t ion

processes detai led in the

Statement wi l l provide ins t i tu t ions with greater

f l ex ib i l i t y in resource al locat ion

and

a secure basis for

ins t i tu t iona l planning. Current dis tor t ions in

the

base

funding of ins t i tu t ions wil l be removed

and

future

funding

arrangements

wil l be developed to take account of a range

of

output qual i ty and performance

measures.

The

Commonwealth

wil l

no longer intervene in detai led resource

issues

such as

the

al locat ion of minor

works

equipment and

special

research

grants .

Ins t i tu t ions

wil l

be

al located

a

s ingle operat ing

grant

and

be

free

to

determine

the

most

e f f i c ien t dis t r ibut ion

of

funds among the i r ac t iv i t i e s .

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15.

TT CHMENT A

26.

The

int roduct ion of

guaranteed t r i enn ia l

funding for

ins t i tu t ions

on

a

ro l l ing

basis

wil l

provide

the

system

with

unprecedented sure ty of funding against which to

plan. A

reserve fund of per cent of to ta l operat ing

grants wil l

be

se t aside

and

al located

on

a

competit ive

basis to areas of nat ional pr io r i ty .

27. Further

growth in

student numbers

can only be

achieved

by a subs tant ia l increase in

the

provision

of

capi ta l .

Capital

funds

wil l

continue

to

be

di rec ted

to

pr io r i ty

locat ions and the i r al loca t ion wil l take account of the

need both

to

accommodate

growth

including provision of

student res idences and to refurbish exis t ing f ac i l i t i e s .

Research and

Post

g

raduate Education

28.

The higher

education

system provides

the major par t

of

A ust ra l ia s

research

ef for t

and

th is

function

wil l

continue

to

be supported

and

strengthened. Basic research

wi l l

continue to be fos tered across the en t i re

range

of academic

f ie lds but the appl ica t ion of research findings

for

di rec t

soc ia l or economic benef i t

must

be increased. The RC wi l l

make

recommendations on

nat ional research pr io r i t i e s ,

co-ordinat ion of research

pol icy

the development and

funding requirements of research

support

schemes research

t ra in ing

and measures

to

improve

in terac t ions in

research

between

the public

and

priva te sec tors .

29. Most research funding wil l

continue

to

be

provided in

the operat ing grants of

ins t i tu t ions . In

the long term

performance

wi l l be taken

in to considerat ion

in

adjust ing

research funds. The

Government

wil l ,

however continue

to

rea l loca te funds from univers i ty operat ing grants to the

RC

for

competit ive

al loca t ion.

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16.

ATTACHMENT

30.

The

Government

wil l ask the HEC and

the

ARC through

NBEET to conduct

a

review of research

based

postgraduate

s tudies .

The

findings of

the review

wil l provide

guidance

about

the

s t ruc ture spread and qual i ty

of

courses.

The

Government has

also asked the ARC to advise

on future

arrangements for the

Commonwealth Postgraduate ward

Program. In the

interim,

the Government

wil l

index

the

st ipend

payable

and

increase t by a fur ther 10 per cent in

rea l terms.

Ins t i tu t iona l Management and Staff ing

31.

Improving ins t i tu t iona l management

p ~ c t i c e s

and

s ta f f ing polic ies wil l

be

v i ta l in the development of an

expanded

and

more

effect ive higher education system. The

Government

wi l l not dicta te

ins t i tu t iona l management

s t ruc tures

( the

l eg i s la t ive responsib i l i ty

rests

with the

States

and

Terr i tor ies>,

but

wil l

ass i s t

ins t i tu t ions

to

review

the i r management

structures to ensure

tha t

i t s

goals

are met.

32.

The Government s object ives

for ins t i tu t iona l s taff ing

pol icy aim to allow a s igni f icant

degree

of

f lex ib i l i ty

in

the use

of s t a f f

resources across the higher

education

system

and provide an

environment

in which individual

excellence

can

be

recognised

and

rewarded.

The s taff ing

reform principles proposed in the Policy Discussion

Paper

were designed to meet these object ives. In large par t

they were accepted

by

the

employers

and

academic ~ n i o n s as

the basis for the recent

academic

second

t i e r

wage

increase.


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17.

ATTACHMENT

B

CO-ORDINATION COMMENTS

The

Department

of Defence s t rongly supports the

overa l l

thrus t of the submission. The

emphasis

on

external s tudies

and

on cred i t

t ransfer between

ins t i tu t ions

wi l l be of

grea t benef i t to

Service

personnel and ~ h e i r families who

are now disadvantaged in the i r effor ts

to

undertake

t e r t i a ry studies

by the i r mobility.

2. ADFA. The paper s ta tes tha t

ARC grants

to

researchers

a t ADFA wil l continue on condition tha t ADFA contr ibute

to

the process of

rea l loca t ion

of

resources .

This i s

understood to mean tha t ADFA wil l suffer the same

proport ional cut

in

funding

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18.

TT CHMENT

4.

The Department

of Community Services

and

Health

supports

the

Submission s proposals

for

growth and

equi ty,

in par t icular ,

the recognit ion that

barr ie rs to

the fu l l

and equal par t ic ipa t ion of disadvantaged groups

in higher

education and in

subsequent employment represent

a major

source of s t ruc tura l r ig id i ty

and

ineffic iency. The

Department therefore supports

the inclusion

of a Child Care

-Grant component in the

Higher

Education

Equity Program.

These

funds

wil l enable

the purchase

of

addit ional places

in

services

funded

by the Children s

Services Program and

ensure

the

access of

cl ients

who

are pr ior i ty groups for

t e r t i a ry

ins t i tu t ions . DCSH

agrees

with the

proposi t ion

tha t child care

i s a

student service

which should

receive

on-going

funding

from the general

operat ing grants

of

ins t i tu t ions .

I t

also

supports

the time l imited

and

ta rge ted provision

of the

child

care

grant

proposed

to

f ac i l i t a te the access

~

students in

less

well provided

for

campuses to

child care.

5.

Were

the Minister for

Community

Service s and

Health

chi ld care

new

pol icy

proposal

for

a

fur ther four year

program

to be approved, DCSH would be in the best posi t ion

to

ass i s t

ins t i tu t ions

wishing to purchase chi ld care

places and would

also

be

in

a posi t ion

to negot iate jo in t

funding arrangements

where ins t i tu t ions

are

located in

communities with a high need for

child care. DCSH

recognises that

ongoing funds for

child

care l ike

other

student services would

come

from the

ins t i tu t ions

general

grants

ra ther than

from spec i f ic purpose grants .


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TT CHMENT

B

6.

The

Department of Primary Industry

and Energy supports

the

th rus t

of

the

submission

and

notes

tha t

fur ther

considerat ion

wil l be

given

to providing support

for

disadvantaged

groups.

These

in i t i a t ives should

include

spec i f ic

considerat ion of

the

di f f icu l t ie s faced

by rura l

people

in obtaining

access to higher education.

7.

Finance supports the

thrus t

of the proposed

Policy

Statement,

part icular ly

the moves

to

increased

f l ex ib i l i t y

combined

with increased

accountabi l i ty for

ef f ic iency and

ef fec t iveness . Finance s concerns

are essent ia l ly

re la ted

to points

of emphasis

and to

making commitments

ahead of

more

careful budget

del iberat ions

.

.

8.

On

points

of emphasis:

while

the Ppper

now

has no long-term t a rge t for growth,

Finance s t i l l considers t

gives greater emphasis to

growth

than can

current ly be substant ia ted;

some

recognit ion should be given

to

the Paper to the

r i sk to

qual i ty in the

proposals

for

se l f accredi ta t ion

of courses by ins t i tu t ions

combined

with the

expectat ion

tha t

receiving

ins t i tu t ions wi l l

grant fu l l

cred i t for

studies undertaken

elsewhere.

This

question

should

be kept under

review;

the

references

to

amalgamation seem excessively

prescr ipt ive and

bureaucrat ic Finance

suggests tha t

moves to

standard funding of different

courses

should

place the necessary addi t ional pressure on

ins t i tu t ions

to amalgamate where economies of

scale

ex is t ;

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20.

ATTACHMENT

B

while supporting

some

redi rec t ion of research

funds

through

ARC,

Finance

questions

the

amount

proposed

and also

quest ions

whether there i s scope for the ARC

to

withdraw from

funding

minor research

projects

which

are

~ t t e r

assessed

and

pr io r i t i sed

within ins t i tu t ions ,

noting

tha t projects as

small

as

5,000

current ly receive ARC

support .

9.

On

budgetary

matters:

Finance would prefer

tha t any overal l f inancial

commitment be held

over

unt i l the Submission on

Resources

for

1989-91,

including

the quest ion of

a l te rna t ive

funding sources i .e . the Wran Report>, has

been

considered in

the budget context . I f some

commitment

needs to

be addressed

in

the Policy

Statement

ahead

of

the

Budget,

Finance

suggests

tha t t

be to maintain

the 1988 rea l

leve l

of funding not

including the pipeline effects , thus leaving open the

poss ib i l i ty tha t a l l

future

growth be funded

from

other

sources;

Finance

i s opposed

to the provision

of

addit ional funds

for a specif ic

program of

purchasing

chi ld

care places

for

needy

students

and

notes

tha t

the quest ion

of

the

Commonwealth's provision

of chi ld

care places

i s under

broader review;

a commitment

to increasing the

Commowealth

Postgraduate

Award

by

10

in rea l

terms

in 1989

should not

be

made

in

the

Policy

Statement, but be considered in the

Resources

Submission.

CABINET IN CO FIDENCE

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21.

TT CHMENT B

10. Finance

has no objec t ion

to

recommendation c)

concerning

t he

amendment

of

the guide l ines fo r

fu l l - f e e

paying overseas s t uden t s ,

subjec t

to

i n s t i t u t i ons t ak ing

f u l l

r e s p o n s ib i l i t y fo r any add i t iona l cap i t a l inves tments

needed in t h i s area .

11. The Department of t he Prime ~ n i s t r and Cabine t

cons ide rs t h a t , as f a r as

t

goes and in t h i s reqa rd

recognis ing t he

impor tant

supplementat ion ro le of

the

Higher Education

Development

Plan

the

proposed

Pol icy

Sta tement embodies a sound approach

to

higher educat ion

provi s ion .

We pa r t i cu l a r l y

applaud the

Sta t e m e n t s

eschewing

of

long- te rm

growth

t a rg e t s

in

favour

of

t r i e n n i a l l y determined

growth ra te s

based

on

s tudent

demand, labour

market requi rements and budgeta ry

cons t ra in t s .

12.

The

Department

notes

the i n t en t ion

to

develop

na t iona l

objec t ives in r e l a t i o n t o

equi ty

and

regards

t h i s and the

s p e c i f i c measures

ou t l i ned

in

the

Statement as

the

minimum

requi red

to address

the under- representa t ion of

pa r t i cu l a r

groups in

higher educat ion . The Department suggests t h a t

the Minis te r br ing forward

in the

f i r s t ha l f

of 1989

a

Submission

s e t t i ng out t he

proposed

equ i t y

ob jec t ives .

13. Treasury

supports t he

broad t h r us t of the

po l ic ie s

proposed in the

White

Paper. In r e l a t i on to some

of

the

i s sues canvassed

t he re ,

and in the Submission, t notes the

fo l lowing

po in t s .


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0


23.

TT CHMENT

B

16. As they currently

stand,

the

range

of speci f ic

commitments

given

in

the

White

Paper

for

Government

funding

(e .g. t r i a l / p i l o t programs for

longer academic

years and

summer terms, equi ty programs and ear ly re t i rement

packages> may ra ise the _expectat ion of addi t ional

expenditure

on

higher education. While t i s s ta ted tha t

funding for some programs wi l l be met

from

sources such as

the proposed

Reserve Fund , a c lear statement

should

be

made to the

ef fec t

tha t

a l l speci f ic

commitments wil l be

funded

from

within

exis t ing

overal l

resources

levels .

I f

the speci f ic commitments in the Paper do enta i l a

net

cos t

the references to

them

should

be

deleted and they

should

be

brought forward

in

the new policy context .

17. To the

extent

tha t the proposal

for

ro l l ing t r i enn ia l

arrangements and the annual l egis la t ion

of update

t r iennium

grants

resul ts in

locking

in future levels

of

funding

th i s

wi l l

fur ther

const rain

already

l imi ted

budgetary

f l ex ib i l i t y

and they

are

not supported.

18.

Final ly , i f the proposed

addi t ional

funding

to

chi ld

care i s to be target ted

to

achieve the maximum ef fec t in

terms of the Commonwealth's

pr ior i ty groups, th is would

be

best done by providing funding to individuals , not

ins t i tu t ions .

[31]

Documents

1988-89 cabinet paper 5890