Say it Ain't So, Brendan...  John? (October 1, 2004)

    The Canberra Times' redoubtable Emma MacDonald has grabbed a bit of the front page today with ANU's $22m loss may be payback.

According to MacDonald the missing money relates to a 2.5 per cent Commonwealth pay rise tied to universities adhering to governance and industrial relations protocols. However, never underestimate the powers of governmental departments. When it comes to a choice as to whether it's a matter of skulduggery vs cock up, cock up has a decided edge in the scheme of things; which is not to say that given the circumstances cock up may not be seen to be of use.

As MacDonald points out ANU's Vice-Chancellor, Ian Chubb, "was the first vice-chancellor to publicly condemn the pay rise tied to universities adhering to governance and industrial relations protocols last year [which] were eventually watered down by the Government in order for it to get its higher education reforms through the Senate."

The matter of the missing $22m having met with inertia when taken up by Professor Chubb with The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Brendan Nelson, in the early part of this year, was brought to the Prime Minister, John Howard's attention in April but has remained dormant.

Meanwhile ANU has been independently reviewed and gotten kudos for its achievements being rated as certainly in the top 100 of the world's research universities, perhaps in the top fifty.

There is of course a history of Professor Chubb telling it like it is when dealing with Governmental Ministers.

On July 20^th, 2001 Dr. David Kemp then Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs wrote Professor Chubb, taking issue with a comment he made three days earlier to a Senate Committee responsible for examining the competence of the university sector to fulfil its role:

"When asked by Senator Kim Carr... whether you believed the universities were in crisis you answered 'Yes'. My concern arises from two sources. One is that the assessment is patently incorrect... Secondly, the AVCC's assertion has a very real potential to damage the standing of Australian universities both domestically and internationally."

In a studied reply Professor Chubb gives details to support his statement to the Committee opening with, "I was asked at the Senate hearings whether the higher education SYSTEM was in crisis - not whether each and every university was in crisis. I answered 'yes' after explaining that it was not a word that I used often but that I couldn't 'easily think of another'..." Prof. Chubb continued, " [On August 13^th] Mr. Gallagher [Michael Gallagher, First Assistant Secretary, Higher Education Division, Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr. Kemp's Department] suggested to the same Senate Committee that Vice-Chancellors who said such things were simply 'looking for an easy way out' and not facing up to their 'management responsibilities.'" He then asks the rhetorical question, "Why would I answer that way?" and proceeds to list the reasons in the course of which he cites statements made by Senator Robert Hill (Lib) who refers to "the funding crisis in higher education and the deteriorating quality of education in this country as a result" and Dr. Kemp, "[I]t is quite clear... the research infrastructure with which [post graduate students] have to deal is in crisis". Professor Chubb also points out that Dr. Kemp quotes Prof. Alan Gilbert (now V-C, University of Melbourne) that the best Australian University might just make it into the world top 50. Gilbert has recently revised his estimate to the top 75 or top 100.

Professor Chubb concludes his rebuttal, "I leave you to draw your conclusions."

As TFW observed in March 2001, it's just a matter of how [and apparently when] you define crisis.

Ironically Michael Gallagher now holds the position of  head of policy and planning at ANU.