The National Union of Students is furious that the Senate Education and Employment Committee has descended into a political football match between Universities and Government without any real agenda to discuss reform into the next decade of the education sector.

“Higher Education has turned into a game of political point-scoring, where neither Universities or the Government want to take responsibility,” said NUS President, Sophie Johnston, “The Higher Education review presented the perfect opportunity to seriously reform the way the sector is financed over the next decade as we move into a rapidly changing labour-force and new economy.”

“There has been serious uncertainty in the sector over the past few years and students and staff have been the hardest hit. We’ve seen class sizes growing exponentially, the amalgamation of student support services and mass casualisation of staff.”

“For Birmingham to come out and ‘slam’ Universities to ‘tighten their belts’ doesn’t take away from the fact that his Government plans to cut billions and billions of dollars in funding while they force students to pay thousands more. And Universities have an obligation to ensure their campuses provide students with a high-quality learning experience.”

“In the next 10-15 years, CEDA found that 40% of current jobs will be replaced by computers, meaning Universities will have a huge role in developing the jobs of tomorrow and in retraining the next generation of graduates to take on these rolls.”

“Right across the world we’re seeing a shift in trends around higher education, where government’s are taking seriously the investment education is for the economy, industry, and in ensuring a socially responsible nation.”

“Given that Australia expends about 0.7% of GDP on higher education, but gets an annual return of around 8% GDP. It is baffling that in a time where our politicians are scrambling over budget deficit, we would be cutting one of the biggest assets to us as a nation.”

“Both Government and Universities need to recognise their roles in the sector and take responsibility to ensure serious reform in order to remain dynamic and sustainable over the next decade or more, not just until the next election.”
Sophie Johnston National President | National Union of Students