Simon Marginson Warns Its Time to Lobby Andrew Robb on Coalition Higher Education Policy. (April 28, 2012)

Simon Marginson is a professor at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne and evincing a realist's posture in an Anzac Day op-ed for The Australian's Higher Education Supplement he posits that in all likelihood the coming federal election will deposit as government a coalition led by Tony Abbott upon the Australian populus.

 

And Professor Marginson asks rhetorically: "So what will the Coalition do [as regards education policy]? Will the new government begin with a major cut in public funding as happened under Howard and is suggested by the Abbott fiscal settings... Will they build research to keep up with emerging Asia?... It is unlikely the Coalition knows yet what it will do about base funding, fee charging and student support."

 

But Professor Marginson believes that "Higher education has friends in all parties [and the] Coalition spokesman on higher education is Senator Brett Mason. Mason [who] has a driving commitment to higher education and research in the national interest". However, he does admit: "Mason is a junior, and cabinet and the PM will call the shots," and, "The pragmatic centre will see education and research as it sees all issues: as a political problem, not as a site for economic reform or educational advance".

 

Then of course there are the Greens holding the balance of power in the Senate and who look upon higher education as a good thing. But then again if Mr Abbott calls a double dissolution he could get a Coalition majority in the Senate.

 

And finally there is finance spokesman Andrew Robb whom Professor Marginson would like to consider being sympathetic to higher education, although his reasoning looks a bit shaky.

 

Ah well --

 

ALWAYS  look  on  the  bright  side  of  life