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senate vote 2021-02-18#9
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2021-03-12 13:50:36
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Title
Bills — Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Category Standards and Other Measures) Bill 2020; in Committee- Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Category Standards and Other Measures) Bill 2020 - in Committee - Clarity about standards
Description
<p class="speaker">Louise Pratt</p><p>I'd like to ask the minister, before we conclude this debate, whether the government thinks that universities can meet the research thresholds that it has set out in these standards, given that universities were denied JobKeeper and have been impacted by the loss of international students—you've all but abandoned universities during the pandemic. What assessment has the government made and what inquiries has the government made about the impact on research thresholds and the assessment of that research under this legislation?</p> <p class="speaker">Jonathon Duniam</p>- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2021-02-18.13.2) introduced by NSW Senator [Mehreen Faruqi](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/nsw/mehreen_faruqi) (Greens), which means it failed.
- Senator Faruqi explained the [reasons for her amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2021-02-18.13.2):
- > *This amendment really seeks to ensure that the higher education regulator, TEQSA [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency], take a variety of qualitative and quantitative factors into account when they set the benchmarks for research quality. It is also to provide clarity on what those factors are. TEQSA would need to specify the factors taken into account for different discipline areas and specify the benchmarks. This amendment would make sure that they do that, and that should include weightings that are given to each specific factor. By including these requirements in the primary legislation, we can have greater confidence that the standards against which the research in universities is judged are appropriate, that these standards are fair and especially that these standards are transparently developed, which the Senate can make sure of today.*
- ### Amendment text
- > *(1) Schedule 1, item 15, page 7 (after line 15), after subsection 59A(4), insert:*
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- > *(4A) A determination under subsection (4) must provide that, in having regard to the quality of the research undertaken by the entity or provider under subsection (1), TEQSA must:*
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- >> *(a) take into account a variety of qualitative and quantitative factors; and*
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- >> *(b) specify the factors taken into account for different discipline areas; and*
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- >> *(c) specify the benchmarks, including weightings, given to each specified factor.*
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- > *(4B) Subsection (4A) does not limit subsection (4).*
<p>I'm advised that universities are still reporting a surplus with regard to their operations, and these reforms will have minimal impact on these settings. On that basis, we're confident that things will not be impacted in any negative way.</p> <p class="speaker">Louise Pratt</p><p>Minister, I note 17,000 people who worked within Australia's universities have lost their jobs and departed the sector in the last little while. Universities may have money put aside for other contingencies. They use their surpluses to enrol extra students. That doesn't mean you've actually assessed which universities have been impacted by the loss of staff that they haven't been able to maintain and how that impacts on their research outputs and the quality of those research outputs. To be fair, what you said to me just now—that universities have a surplus, so it's their problem if their research is affected—is absolute nonsense.</p> <p class="speaker">Jonathon Duniam</p><p>I'm advised that these changes will have virtually no impact for current providers at transition.</p> <p class="speaker">Louise Pratt</p><p>I don't think we're going to get anywhere with the government here. They've sent in numerous ministers who aren't across the legislation. I appreciate that they've been here so that we can scrutinise these issues.</p><p>We've seen thousands of people lose their jobs from the university sector. They've been unable to account for the impact of the loss of those jobs on research and whether the assessment tools contained in this legislation will find what the impact of the loss of those jobs is on the quality of research, which TEQSA is supposed to investigate, as a result of the COVID pandemic. We know that this is an ideological war by the government against Australia's universities in terms of funding cuts and allowing the private sector to take up more of the field by allowing private players to call themselves university colleges. Sadly, given the government has been so unforthcoming, I don't see any reason to keep this debate going.</p><p class="italic">The CHAIR: The question is that Greens amendment (1) on sheet 1130 be agreed to.</p>
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