New South Wales Seeks to Cede Total Control of Universities to Commonwealth. (October 23, 2004)

    According to The Sydney Morning Herald the New South Wales Minister for Education, Andrew Refshauge, said yesterday almost all university funding came from the Commonwealth and the states' role was "a relic of the past. The Commonwealth already exercises de facto control of Australian universities through its funding arrangements."

Under current arrangements state governments appoint university boards or councils and universities must submit financial reports to state treasurers while state auditors-general and Ombudsmen have a watchdog and auditing responsibility. Only the Australian National University is fully responsible to the Commonwealth.

According to the Herald's report, the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee's CE, John Mullarvey, believes universities would lose political leverage if the state governments ceded these powers, but "the Prime Minister, John Howard, said yesterday that it was an anomaly that the states managed universities but the Federal Government funded them," suggesting that his government would look favourably on such a proposal.

If nothing else, were such a change to take place no one would be in any doubt as to whom to sheet home responsibility for the continuing degradation of the university sector. And it's interesting to note that currently the division of responsibility for the German universities between the federal government and the Länder (states), which have much greater financial commitments than in Australia, is a matter of serious concern to the respective governments, the universities and the students and staff.