"It Could be Worse, He Might Have Made Tony Abbott Minister for Education, Science and Training." October 25, 2004

    At least that was the expressed opinion of a silver-haired academic noted for her phlegmatic view of academe, life, the universe and everything. She also possesses a silk screen print covering much of one wall of her office. It sports only the number 42.

But in fact Brendan Nelson was destined to remain immobilised within the Cabinet from the moment the Prime Minister, John Howard, decided to make vocational training a resonant plank in his education platform which featured the formation of two-dozen new technical colleges. Transferring the DEST secretary, Jeff Harmer to head the Department of Family and Community Services and elevating Lisa Paul from the position of a deputy secretary in DEST responsible for schools, vocational education and training to head the department while morphing the junior minister for Science, Peter McGauran into the new Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, Gary Hardgrave, ought to be a clear warning, even to the most optimistic of Australian vice-chancellors and university staffers, particularly if research minded, that they are not going to be flavour of the fourth term.

    Meanwhile, the Primer of New South Wales, Bob Carr and his Minister for Education, Andrew Refshauge, have signalled they want to make a deal with Mr Howard to relieve themselves of having to administer the balky New South Wales university sector by ceding full responsibility for universities to the Commonwealth in return for the federal government becoming less heavy handed in its manipulation of the state's public schools and technical education sector.

From the Coalition government's viewpoint, should it come to pass, the universities could be expected to become more obedient, pseudo-businesslike, while being further degraded as institutions for the dissemination of learning and the undertaking of research.

Of course increasing federal governmental support for technical colleges to alleviate Australian skills shortages is excellent news -- but at the expense of adequately resourcing the nation's universities? If your goal is the welfare of Australia, it's bad policy. From the viewpoint of garnering votes, that may be a different matter.

Our silver-haired academic may see the glass for the universities as being half full.  But with or without Tony Abbott's presence it looks not only half empty, but leaking.