Paul Oboohov, Canberra
On September 23, candidates for the October 9 federal election addressed a forum at the Australian National University organised by the National Tertiary Education Union.
The Liberal candidate for the seat of Fraser, Adam Giles, argued that the "reforms" initiated by federal education minister Brendan Nelson were positive and said that the Howard government was offering $838 million more in funding for universities. However, he agreed that universities need better funding.
James Vassilopoulos, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the seat of Fraser, decried the corporatisation of universities, which he said was leading to cuts such as the nursing faculty at Sydney University and the classics department at the ANU. He said that higher education was in a severe crisis, with curricula set by corporations, a huge rise in casualisation, universities considering charging up to $210,000 for degree courses, government funding of only $2.5 billion and the rest coming from students. He pointed out that in 2002 a survey found that 82% of academics reported high work pressure.
Vassilopoulos said that because of the rise in fees for courses, students are working enormous hours. He pointed out that Venezuela, a Third World country, had recently added 200,000 extra places in higher education institutions within one year and made university education free. "If Venezuela can do that, why can't a rich, First World country like Australia?" he asked.
David Smith, the second candidate on the ALP ACT Senate ticket, said that a federal Labor government will provide "broader", "fairer" and "affordable" access to universities to lift productivity in Australia, and that this will achieve a "fairer and stronger Australia".
Kerrie Tucker, the Greens Senate candidate in the ACT, said that the Greens were against the "burger and milkshake" tax cuts offered by Labor, which she said could have paid for the abolition of HECS. While John Howard talks about "family values", Nettle said she had spoken to students in Melbourne who were working as strippers and sex workers to pay their way through university. She said that course fees were now well outside family affordability. She concluded by saying that the Greens will abolish fees, support student unionism, provide better Indigenous and regional access, oppose individual contracts, and boost research places and funding.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, September 29, 2004.
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