Gillard cant deny her part in perfect storm

Julia Gillard and the Labor Party's ideological abolition of full-fee places for domestic students should be reversed in light of what has been described by academics as a 'perfect storm' for Universities, according to Shadow Education Minister Christopher Pyne.

"Australia's Universities were promised an education revolution by Julia Gillard and the Labor Party," said Mr Pyne.

"Instead they are facing the 'perfect storm', that may lead to Universities being worse off, as a result of Labor's ideological approach," he said.

"In their first year they abolished full fee domestic places - our Universities' major growth source of funding - and in their second year they delivered only a fraction of the funding recommendations of their own Bradley Review. Half of their vaunted $5.7 billion package came from raiding the Howard Government's Higher Education Endowment Fund and will not go towards teaching, and other funds will not be available for Universities for 18 months.

"If the Government wants to help Universities through tough times, they need to consider dropping their ideological fixation against full fee domestic places for a limited number of Australian students. If Universities could offer these places again next year, they would be far less likely to be talking about staff cuts, meaning that all students would be the beneficiaries."

Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers has been reported this week as saying "Full fees for domestic students have been abolished and some universities would argue that any government compensation has been insufficient to cover that loss."

"Labor should swallow their pride and admit they've been wrong on this issue," said Mr Pyne.

"It is time to put our education system ahead of outdated ideology," he said.

August 3, 2009;

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