27 May 2008
University funding
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Australia is the only developed country to reduced public funding for universities over the last decade. Consequently our universities have one of the highest investments from private sources in the world, around fifty per cent. How carefully should we be monitoring the sources of this funding?
The Saudi Arabian government contributed to an Islamic Research Unit at Griffith University. The University of Queensland accepted money for environmental research from the climate change sceptic Bryant Macfie, member of the Institute of Public Affairs. Woodside Petroleum is a major sponsor of the School of Oil and Gas Engineering at the University of Western Australia, and there are plenty more.
Does this money really come with no strings attached? Australia Talks ... about the funding of universities.
Guests
Simon Marginson, Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne
Clive Hamilton, Visiting Fellow Regulatory Institution Network / ANU and former Executive Director of The Australia Institute
Carolyn Allport, President of the National Tertiary Education Union
Margaret Gardener, Vice-Chancellor RMIT University Melbourne
Alan Robson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of WA and Chair of the Group of 8
Further Information
Link to National Tertiary Education Union
Link to Universities Australia, the industry peak body representing the university sector
Link to Group of Eight - Australia's leading universities
Link to overview on university funding
Link to the Business, Industry and Higher Education Collaboration Council
Presenter
Paul Barclay
Story Researcher and Producer
Karin Zsivanovits
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