Review of Higher Education Green Paper Dumped. (September 9, 2008)

Professor Denise Bradley's Higher Education Review committee has decided to forgo issuing a green paper for public discussion / consultation.

Instead, The Australian's Andrew Trounson reports: "the Bradley review panel will now meet with the federal Government to discuss its preliminary findings and signal the directions in which it is heading."

Just what this statement is code for, allows any number of conjectures, but it does raise the issue of just how "independent" will the independent review be.

In a statement Professor Bradley released to the media she said: "The panel believes, after undertaking consultations, commissioning research and reading submissions, that its final report to government in December must be a comprehensive and integrated package of reforms. In consequence, rather than produce a report on priorities for action in October, it will meet in a private roundtable with the Government to discuss its preliminary findings and indicate the directions in which it is heading as it moves towards recommendations for the future in its December report."

All of which seems a monumental non sequitur even if exquisitely phrased.