*********************************************************************
AUS Tertiary Update Vol. 4 No. 25, 26 July 2001
*********************************************************************
In our lead story this week…..
AUS MAKES ITS STAND CLEAR TO GOVERNMENT
The Association of University Staff has told the government that, while AUS supports measures to ease the burden of
student debt, it cannot support fees stabilisation and reduction at any price. In a letter to the Minister in charge of
tertiary education, Steve Maharey, the AUS National President, Neville Blampied says the union wants to see public
investment in university tuition increase in a "calibrated" and "adequate" way. "Ad hoc expedients, offered without
differentiation to all parts of tertiary education including the private providers, and determined without regard to
true cost pressures in the sector do not fulfil our policy nor are they in the national interest," Mr Blampied writes.
He also repeats AUS opposition to the link the Government has made between funding for Centres of Research Excellence
(CoRE) and acceptance of the Government fee-freeze offer and points out that the deal on offer of 5.1% on funding levels
last year is inadequate, given a 3.1% level of inflation to date in 2001. "It cannot do anything substantive to
alleviate the financial problems of universities, which are most severely felt in the budgets for teaching,
teaching-related research and for providing the general infrastructure to support scholarship across the board."
Finally, Mr Blampied warns in his letter that the situation has reached crisis level, and that it can no longer be
assumed that 2002 will be "business as usual", with staff picking up extra work and "meekly putting up with
redundancies, restructuring and zero pay offers". The full text of the letter to the Minister is on AUS website:
www.aus.ac.nz/minister.htm
Also in Tertiary Update this week:
1. Government changes policy on funding new PTEs.
2. AUS at Education International World Congress.
3. Vice-Chancellors’ pay on the up and up.
4. Furore over Australian academic's website.
5. Maine women professors get a raise.
6. Australian study on 'brain drain'
GOVERNMENT CHANGES POLICY ON FUNDING NEW PTES
AUS has welcomed the Government’s moratorium on public funding of new private training establishments - with
reservations. National President, Neville Blampied, said, “While we congratulate the Government on this positive move,
we note that established PTEs are assured of continued funding for growth and there are a range of exemptions to the
moratorium. The enormous increase in Government funding, from $17 million to $128 million, 1999-2001, remains in the
hugely expanded private sector – and is scheduled to increase to $151 million next year.” Mr Blampied urged the
Government to go the next step and begin to redirect public funding of the established PTEs back where it belongs – in
public institutions.
AUS AT EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONGRESS
AUS National President, Neville Blampied and Executive Director, Rob Crozier, are currently representing AUS at the
Education International [EI] World Congress in Thailand. The Congress will be making decisions on EI’s future direction
and priorities and will be discussing, in particular, three focal points for advocacy: the achievement of quality public
education for all; resisting commercialisation of education services; and, improving the employment conditions of
teachers and their working environment. EI represents 24.5 million teachers and education and research personnel
world-wide. It is associated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the global federation of
democratic and independent national trade union centres and has consultative status at UNESCO and the International
Labour Organisation. It also joins with other trade union partners in meetings with organisations such as the World
Trade Organisation.
VICE-CHANCELLORS' PAY ON THE UP-AND-UP
State Service Commission figures show big growth in the pay packages of the country's university vice-chancellors
between 1997 and 1999. One of the highest-paid, Otago's Graeme Fogelberg, saw his total pay package increase by 45% over
the three years from the $200,000-$210,000 salary band in 1997 to the $290,000 to $300,000 salary band in 1999. When
Canterbury's Daryl Le Grew was appointed, the Vice-Chancellor's pay package was increased 38% on the $210,000 to
$220,000 range earned by his predecessor. Over the three year period, Victoria University increased its chief
executive's salary by 40% to within the $280,000 to $290,000 salary band, while the pay packet of Lincoln's Frank Wood
rose 16% in one year when his pay went from the $180,000 to $190,000 salary band to the $210,000 to $220,000 band.
Given the situation in the country's universities, the release of the figures has stirred up reaction. AUS notes that
the big increases come at a time when academic staff saw their wages increase about 6% over the same period, while New
Zealand University Students' Association co-president ,Andrew Campbell, says that given the vice-chancellors' high
salaries it was too simple for them to blame the government for the deteriorating state of universities. He warned that
if fees went up, students would expect to see every cent go into academic departments.
However, Professor Le Grew, University of Canterbury’s Vice-Chancellor, cautioned against a literal reading of the State
Services Commission figures, saying it represented a total package including superannuation and performance allowances
that were not necessarily paid out. He said that from August 1998 his salary had risen 1%, in line with that of academic
staff.
WORLD WATCH
FURORE OVER AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIC'S WEBSITE
The authorities at Australia's La Trobe University have closed down a website on the university server, and warned its
owner he could fact misconduct charges because they say the site has defamed a federal government minister. Ken Harvey,
a lecturerer in public health at La Trobe, set up the site with academics from other institutions four months ago. Its
aim was to draw attention to claims that international pharmaceutical drugs companies were exerting improper influence
on the government. The offending item is a cartoon showing the Health Minister, Michael Woodridge as the "Minister for
Pfizer" -- an international drug company. The university says the cartoon opened the university and Dr Harvey up to the
risk of defamation. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has taken up Dr Harvey's case and is rejecting the
defamation claim. Bill Deller of the NTEU said the university should drop any action, and resolve the issue informally.
"This is part of a wider attempt by university managers to wrest information control from academics. They want hegemonic
control over everything that emanates out of the university," he said.
MAINE WOMEN PROFESSORS GET A RAISE
Nearly half the women professors at the University of Maine in the U.S. are to get pay rises after a study showed they
were being underpaid in comparison to their male counterparts. Of the 451 female professors on the university's seven
campuses, 199 are to get rises average US$2,000 a year to bring their pay up to that of male professors at the
university. Some will receive as much as US$6,000 a year more. The pay rise follows a study by a joint committee of
administrators and members of the faculty union that looked in to pay relativity taking into account relevant
differences such as longevity, rank, discipline and academic degree.
AUSTRALIAN STUDY ON 'BRAIN DRAIN'
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs has released a report on the effect of the 'brain drain', but
critics looking for information on its impact on universities say it lacks the data needed to provide answers to the key
issues. The report says that 1,221 Australian academics have been lost to the country in the past three years, and that
the majority of Australians leaving are in the 25-35 year age group. However, it says Australia is in fact experiencing
a 'brain gain' with the number of skilled migrants exceeding the number of Australians leaving. The report is seen as a
useful start, but critics say it fails to answer the key questions –– including who is leaving, why they're leaving, and
whether they are coming back.
The report can be viewed at http://www.immi.gov.au/research/publications/skilledlab/index.htm
***************************************************************************
AUS Tertiary Update is produced weekly on Thursdays and distributed freely to members of the union and others. Back
issues are archived on the AUS website: