INDUSTRY & RESEARCH campusreview. com. au
Think globally, act regionally
M McMillenVC
Caroline McMillen is the vice-chancellor of the University of Newcastle. As the chief of a regional campus, she has a vested interest in promoting the wellbeing of non-metropolitan Australia, centres that are often overlooked in favour of the bright lights and huge populations of our capital cities. Shortly after absorbing the Budget, she spoke with Campus Review about the occasionally fraught government / business / university triangle, bemoaned the defunding of the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme( HEPPP) and implored the government to invest in regional Australia.
CR: So what was your overall take on the Budget?
CM: It’ s good the government has made a clear statement that it’ s not going to support all the deregulation. It’ s also helpful to have the options paper because it provides a good framework to address the issues that have been approached for the last three years,
Budget policy must support research and development outside of the capital cities, in order to make Australia’ s economy as strong as possible in the future.
Caroline McMillen interviewed by Patrick Avenell
and a framework that might allow good consultation to address some of those issues.
It’ s particularly important for students that they have certainty until January 1, 2018. I do think it’ s a pity, and more than a pity, for students in regions like our own, that the HEPPP funding is to lose $ 152 million. That’ s something that genuinely makes a difference in regions that are feeling the pinch from the global economic headwinds, and local industries are trying to transition from traditional businesses to new ones.
Families are doing it tough, and one of the key ingredients in creating a better future is ensuring that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are supported with pathways to come to university and engage in the new economy.
What sorts of measures would you have wanted to see? The continuation of the HEPPP funding would have enabled certainty through these uncertain economic times. We are a university that is for Indigenous students: the highest number of Indigenous students among Australian universities.
Many of those students have their aspirations supported by some of the programs we’ ve been engaged in through HEPPP, and we’ ve also been able to work on projects that ask good questions about how to bring students through successfully to achieve their full potential at university.
Our equity and excellence are strong, so I would’ ve liked to have seen the HEPPP funding continued.
I would also have liked more certainty, but we’ re coming up to an election, so I appreciate that the government will wish to consider its options up until July, then presumably mould some of its policy for the future into its election campaign.
Do you feel the deregulation debate has been settled now, or do you think it’ s just being delayed? There’ s a clear statement about fee deregulation but I do think we will see versions of fee flexibility, one of which is signaled in the paper. It does seem the government is reserving the right to continue with this policy – stated in the 2014 – 15 Budget – of a 20 per cent cut, but [ won’ t necessarily stick to that. Its officials are ] considering how to rebalance the private / public contribution.
The options paper allows a continuum
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