NEWS
campusreview.com.au
Ramsay gets the Gong
UOW’s Ramsay deal sparks renewed debate.
A
fter shopping around for more than a year, the Ramsay
Centre for Western Civilisation has found an unlikely
partner: the University of Wollongong.
Perhaps not the centre’s first choice – the deal was struck
after negotiations broke down with at least ANU, the University
of Sydney and allegedly the University of Queensland – chief
executive Professor Simon Haines nevertheless insisted it was. He
claimed the centre had been negotiating with UOW for a year,
despite UOW telling The Sydney Morning Herald that no such
negotiations existed in June.
Research cuts a
‘slide into decay’
Sector reacts to “budget horror”
as research funding scaled back.
T
he university sector expected to
see cuts to research funding in the
government’s mid-year budget
update, but not at the level unveiled.
Education Minister Dan Tehan earmarked
the cuts in November and Mid-Year
Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO)
documents have now revealed their extent –
6
“We are delighted to be partnering with the University of
Wollongong,” he said in a statement. “We have always said that
the success of the degree would depend on the quality of the
teaching, and UOW attaches great importance to teaching
standards and quality.”
While UOW falls well behind Group of Eight institutions in
international academic rankings, it scores about average for a
public university in student experience.
UOW’s Ramsay engagement lead, Professor Theo Farrell,
executive dean of the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, is
excited about the prestige and opportunities the partnership, due
to commence in 2020, might bring.
“What I find especially exciting about [it] is the potential to
contribute to the life-enhancement and social mobility of our
students and the nurturing of future leaders,” he said.
Haines noted that the centre’s discussions with other universities,
including those belonging to the Group of Eight, are ongoing.
The centre has been mired in controversy since its inception,
due to affiliated former prime minsters’ remarks implying the
supremacy of Western civilisation, and the degree of academic
control the centre wished to exert on its offerings. With the UOW
announcement, critiques of it have once again arisen.
Even UOW scholars are protesting it. Law researcher Scarlet
Wilcock tweeted that she was “deeply disappointed” by the
deal. The detractors might get their way. A memorandum of
understanding has been signed, but no formal agreement
exists – yet. ■
the government will scale research block
grants back by a total of $328.5 million over
four years from 2018–19.
The MYEFO report held that savings from
the measure will be redirected to fund
education portfolio policy priorities.
Universities Australia chief executive
Catriona Jackson said the funding drop
was a “ram raid on Australia’s future
economic growth, prosperity, health and
development”.
“These cuts are the wrong decision
for Australia’s future – and they will rob
Australians of life-saving treatments,
research to help prevent floods and
bushfires, and advances in almost every
aspect of people’s lives,” Jackson said.
“Over the course of this year, we have
seen cuts to funding for student places at
universities, a proposed new tax on student
loans, and a further tax on universities who
recruit global talent.
“And now we have this fresh blow – just
before Christmas – to our research capability.”
Innovative Research Universities executive
director Conor King said MYEFO looks like
another “budget horror” for universities.
The peak body warned that the new
cut will further pile pressure on university
research capability and reduce support for
future research students.
With $92.5 million previously pledged to
support more students at five regionally
focused universities – amid concerns
funding for the measure would be diverted
from research – also included in this
year’s MYEFO, the Council of Australian
Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) said the
government was trying to buy votes in
marginal seats.
CAPA national president Natasha
Abrahams said: “These decisions have been
made by a struggling Coalition desperate to
buy votes ahead of the looming election –
risking long-term consequences to the
Australian economy as our research output
lags behind.”
The president of Science & Technology
Australia Professor Emma Johnston said
taking money out of research will help
Australia’s bottom line today, but will have
hidden costs for years to come.
“Future generations may look back and
thoroughly regret these decisions,” Johnston
said. “Let’s use the strengths of science and
technology to bolster our economy, instead
of letting the research and development
sector slide further into decay.” ■