University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Continues His Hymn of Despair, While the Minister for Education Supplies the Obbligato. (April 5, 2007)

    He's referred to as the leader of the opposition, Kevin Rudd's, favourite vice-chancellor by The Australian's Samantha Maiden. Glyn Davis and Mr Rudd work together in the Queensland government's bureaucracy in the 1990s.

But while the Labor opposition is spruiking reducing Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees to entice more high school matriculators into university, Professor Davis reiterates that there is no compelling evidence that increased HECS fees discourage perspective enrolees.

Labor's shadow minister of education, Steven Smith admits that as yet the data aren't there, but his leader has spoken and it's part of announced Labor policy and added, "[t]he architect of HECS, Bruce Chapman, said in January that the system was at a 'tipping point'. Over the last decade we have seen the cost of a university degree increase by between $7500 and $30,000."

However, Glyn Davis is not the sole v-c pleading for the cap on the HECS fee to be scrapped or ameliorated (e.g. linked to inflation) although he continues to be the most vocal.

In an address on Tuesday he told his audience, "The available data makes clear that tuition price has been no impediment to participation. The price caps that have kept costs down to all students cannot be easily defended on equity grounds. For many students, it is likely that these controls inflict costs of a non-financial kind - all the problems of overcrowded classes and rundown facilities that have been the subject of many a complaint over the years. The price caps restrict student choices, leaving little difference between the 37 public universities all offering variations on a standard university service."

Which is by way of saying the universities are so strapped for cash they are all but treading water and it's no use looking to the federal government who are intent on non-benevolent neglect.

And to reinforce the point, in a speech to a higher education summit in Melbourne on Wednesday the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, is reported by the AAP's David Crawshaw to have called for a new wave of reform in Australia's universities to cut red tape and improve accountability.

But Ms Bishop in answering criticism of underinvestment in higher education emphasised that improved efficiency would be a requirement for new federal government funding.

She wishes to see better university governance and business practices -- it should stand alongside the four existing pillars of the federal government's higher education policy - quality, sustainability, equity and diversity.

Of course what is disturbing is the substance of the pillars as maintained by John Howard's government.

"In making the case for more funding, our universities need to ensure that governance arrangements are further improved. In return for the greater confidence that this will bring, longer-term funding arrangements, for example, can be considered, which may provide the sector with more certainty and flexibility in terms of places and costs."

Which seems to be code for "we might think about it sometime in the future."

Ms Bishop said fixing inefficiencies could save up to $450 million that could be directed towards attracting and retaining top academics.

She gave no breakdown as to how she arrived at that figure.