The Redhead With the Monotonic Delivery Has Something of Consequence to Say. (April 1, 2009)

Acting Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, the Federal Labor Cabinet's Pooh-Bah, being Minister for Education, Minister for Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion as well, was in Adelaide today opening a state-of-the-art lecture theatre at Flinders University.

She told those in attendance the she wanted "the next decade and beyond to be about empowerment and trust in our great institutions," and continued, "We will empower and trust Australian universities to get on with what they do best which is providing world class education to undergraduates who come to study at those universities and to providing world class research ...it (a university) doesn't need people from Canberra micromanaging how the university gets about that task."

We don't know if Ms Gillard has looked over her shoulder to see what seems to be happening in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Korea but it'd be nice to think so, and even nicer if she means what she is saying and that that will be reflected in federal government policy.

The Acting Prime Minister also referred to the low percentage of Australians achieving tertiary qualifications. "We're determined to change that but to do it not by dropping standards but by increasing the focus for universities on ensuring that they are partnering with schools and making a difference to those students who need to combat disadvantage in order to come and get a place at university."

But that also means the universities must be given the additional resources to allow that goal to be realised.

Finally it is unlikely that Ms Gillard is unaware of the elephant in the Cabinet Room in the guise of the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research who gives every indication of wanting to place the universities in a padded jacket with tie-around sleeves.