Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education Looks Under Treat in the Name of Efficiency. (August 1, 2011)

In a couple of weeks the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is to meet and one of its functions we understand will be to "rubber-stamp the abolition of the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment" according to John Ross' account in last Wednesday's Australian. Its intended replacement will be to report directly to COAG.

A February COAG communiqué states: "Standing councils will support the move to a reform-based system by identifying a small number of priority issues of national significance [normally five to seven to] deal with and in what time frames, for endorsement by COAG."

According to Mr Ross RMIT's policy advisor Gavin Moodie says decisions on tertiary education were being taken from the ministers and departments with the relevant expertise and handed to Julia Gillard and her department head Terry Moran: "[Bob] Hawke oversaw very considerable and widespread changes as prime minister by allowing his ministers to manage their portfolios within the policies determined by cabinet," and believes the shift would accelerate "the reorientation of tertiary education" from developing students to preparing workers for business. "Tertiary education will be directed less by governments in the national interest, and more by markets for private benefit."

In the view of Leesa Wheelahan, of the L.H. Martin Institute, COAG wasn't elected and its agendas, discussion papers and minutes weren't easily available. "This reduces its transparency and accountability; it is not helpful to have COAG, which subordinates everything to the economy, dictating what education and training ministers should consider."

In contrast the chief executive of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, Claire Field, disagrees saying the changes would improve transparency and accountability: "Ministers will be focused on a core set of priorities, which are measurable, and directly linked to nationally agreed targets, which are published widely. What the COAG reform council does at the moment -- and will be able to do better with the new system -- is provide greater reporting on progress towards key reforms." Which on the face of it would appear to reinforce Dr. Moodie's view.

What this will probably come down to is whether or not  Ms Gillard, with the head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Terry Moran, will prevail over Senators Carr and Evans when federal cabinet takes decisions regarding the allocation of resources. It could devolve to a curious situation. Until now Ms Gillard has shown little interest in the research and learning undertaken by the universities, and Mr Moran has been vocal in his distain for academic advisory.