<![CDATA[<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<br><a href = "thecouncil.html">About Professions Australia</a><br>
<a href = "branches.html">Branches & NSWCOP</a><br>
<a href = "policymaterial.html">Policy Material</a><br>
<a href = "knowledgenetwork.html">Knowledge Network</a><br>
<a href = "alertsandnews.html">Alerts and Newsletters</a><br>
<a href = "membership.html">Membership Information</a><br>
<a href = "office.html">Office & Contacts</a><br>
<a href = "sitesearch.html">Search</a><br>
<a href = "Memberlogin.html">Member Login</a><br>
<a href = "memberlogout.html">Logout</a><br>
<a href = "Homepage.html">Home</a><br>
<a href = "Constitution.html">Constitution</a><br>
<a href = "YoungProf.html">Young Professionals</a><br>
<a href = "ethicsresource.html">Ethics Resource Centre</a><br>
<a href = "history.html">History</a><br>
<a href = "visionrole.html">Vision and Role</a><br>
<a href = "Board.html">Board</a><br>
<a href = "committees.html">Committees</a><br>
<a href = "mediaspeeches.html">Media, Speeches</a><br>
<a href = "award.html">Professional of the Year Award</a><br>
<a href = "archives.html">Archives</a><br>
<a href = "NSWCOP.html">NSWCOP</a><br>
<a href = "victoria.html">Victoria</a><br>
<a href = "Queensland.html">Queensland</a><br>
<a href = "wa.html">Western Australia</a><br>
<a href = "sa.html">South Australia</a><br>
<a href = "tasmania.html">Tasmania</a><br>
<a href = "act.html">ACT</a><br>
<a href = "competitionpolicy.html">Competition Policy</a><br>
<a href = "insurance.html">Insurance</a><br>
<a href = "highereducation.html">Higher Education</a><br>
<a href = "other.html">Other</a><br>
<a href = "knetsample.html">Knowledge Base Sample</a><br>
<a href = "kbase.html">Knowledge Base</a><br>
<a href = "kpeople.html">Knowledge People</a><br>
<a href = "ktalk.html">Knowledge Talk</a><br>
<a href = "submitkbase.html">Submit to Knowledge Base</a><br>
<a href = "submitkpeople.html">Submit to Knowledge People</a><br>
<a href = "alertssample.html">Alerts and News Sample</a><br>
<a href = "alerts.html">Alerts</a><br>
<a href = "newsletters.html">Newsletters</a><br>
<a href = "subscription.html">Alerts and News Subscription</a><br>
<a href = "criteria.html">Criteria</a><br>
<a href = "Rates.html">Membership Rates</a><br>
<a href = "member.html">Member Associations</a><br>
<a href = "KBManual.html">Knowledge Base Manual</a><br>
<a href = "defineprofession.html">Definition of a Profession</a><br>
<a href = "KBWP.html">Knowledge Base White Papers</a><br>
<a href = "ValueStatement.html">Value Statement</a><br>
<a href = "Apply.html">Apply to join</a><br>
<a href = "Constitutioncontinue.html">Constitution continued</a><br>
<a href = "ParticReportsNov2003.html">Participant reports Roundtable Nov 2003</a><br>
<a href = "latestnewsletter.html">Latest Newsletter</a><br>
<a href = "bankruptcy.html">Bankruptcy legislation</a><br>
<a href = "whatsnew.html">What's New</a><br>
<a href = "ethicsplan.html">Ethics Action Plan</a><br>
<a href = "definitionprofession.html">Definition of a Profession</a><br>
<a href = "ethicscodes.html">Codes of Ethics</a><br>
<a href = "ethicseducation.html">Ethics Education</a><br>
<a href = "ethicsforum.html">Ethics Forum</a><br>
<a href = "relatedsites.html">Related Sites</a><br>
<a href = "ethicsreading.html">Reading</a><br>
<a href = "ethicscasestudies.html">Ethics Case Studies</a><br>
<a href = "ethicsresearch.html">Ethics Research</a><br>
<a href = "CPSS.html">Competition Policy Submission (1998)</a><br>
<a href = "SERC.html">Submission to Economics References Committee (May 2002)</a><br>
<a href = "SSWSTTTR.html">Structured Settlements - Why support them through tax reform (May 2001)</a><br>
<a href = "STTRLN.html">Submission to the Review of the Law of Negligence (August 2002)</a><br>
<a href = "MRPWBI.html">Media Release: Professions want broader indemnity agenda (June 2002)</a><br>
<a href = "PORM.html">Policy on Risk Management (November 1997)</a><br>
<a href = "PR2001.html">AGM 2001 Presidents Address</a><br>
<a href = "AFGFA.html">Professional Liability - A fair go for all - 1998</a><br>
<a href = "TPPIAC.html">The Professions, Public Interest and Competition Policy (2000)</a><br>
<a href = "APSUT.html">Australia's Professional Services under threat 1997</a><br>
<a href = "NCPP.html">National Competition policy & the professions 1997</a><br>
<a href = "DWRME.html">Dealing with risk. Managing expectations 1996</a><br>
<a href = "GM2002.html">GM 2002 Presidents Speech</a><br>
<a href = "AGM2002.html">AGM 2002 Presidents Address</a><br>
<a href = "MediaRelease25Nov.html">Ipp Media Release</a><br>
<a href = "MediaReleaseNov02.html">Professional Indemnity Insurance Crisis - media Release</a><br>
<a href = "AGM1999.html">AGM President Address 1999</a><br>
<a href = "SCAGMINCO.html">Submission to SCAG-MINCO 9 Dec 2002</a><br>
<a href = "JCCV.html">John Castles CV</a><br>
<a href = "BGCV.html">Barry Grear CV</a><br>
<a href = "DTCV.html">David Thomson CV</a><br>
<a href = "VICletter.html">Victorian market failure in Professional Indemnity insurance</a><br>
<a href = "CVSTP.html">Coonan's view a shock to professionals</a><br>
<a href = "PBULC.html">Peak body urges liability cap</a><br>
<a href = "LDRA.html">Liability decision rouses anger</a><br>
<a href = "PLNHG.html">Proportionate liability is not Holy Grail</a><br>
<a href = "GPAS.html">Government position appears to be shifting</a><br>
<a href = "pumta.html">Professions urge ministers to act now</a><br>
<a href = "tpauc.html">TPA 'undermines capping'</a><br>
<a href = "mtstmt.html">Market 'too small and too much trouble'</a><br>
<a href = "pimfnps.html">PI market failure needs a package solution</a><br>
<a href = "cfncoll.html">Call for national cap on lawyers' liability</a><br>
<a href = "POPSR.html">Policy on Professional Self-Regulation (1990)</a><br>
<a href = "RDEWL.html">Role and Duties of an Expert Witness in Litigation (1998)</a><br>
<a href = "107.html">Alert No 107 (29 May 03)</a><br>
<a href = "1071.html">Alert No 107 Attach 0ne</a><br>
<a href = "1072.html">Alert No 107 Attach Two</a><br>
<a href = "1073.html">Alert No 107 Attach three- Implementation paper</a><br>
<a href = "1074.html">Alert No 107 Attach Four</a><br>
<a href = "Treasurer.html">Paul Meiklejohn</a><br>
<a href = "Boardmemberone.html">Monica Persson</a><br>
<a href = "nswcopcontacts.html">Contacts</a><br>
<a href = "nswcopobjectives.html">Objectives</a><br>
<a href = "nswcoppsl.html">Professional Standards Legislation</a><br>
<a href = "nswcopevents.html">Events</a><br>
<a href = "nswcopnletters.html">NSWCOP Newsletters</a><br>
<a href = "SeptHigherEd.html">Nelson reforms miss the main point, say professions</a><br>
<a href = "PSCJune03Seminar.html">NSW PSC June Seminar</a><br>
<a href = "VicCPAJuly03Seminar.html">Vic CPA professional indemnity seminar, 28 July 2003</a><br>
<a href = "BrisbaneHandPI.html">John Hand Brisbane PI Paper, 30 July 2003</a><br>
<a href = "ICAABrisbanePaper.html">Brisbane ICAA PI paper</a><br>
<a href = "PolCampaignsArticle.html">Professions Australia learns lessons on political campaigns</a><br>
<a href = "AnaGovan.html">Ana Govan (information technology)</a><br>
<a href = "BrigetteHall.html">Brigette Hall (minerals)</a><br>
<a href = "NikkiBrennan.html">Nikki Brennan (architecture)</a><br>
<a href = "NinaQuinn.html">Nina Quinn (audiology)</a><br>
<a href = "LukeFraser.html">Luke Fraser (construction)</a><br>
<a href = "PhilippaThomson.html">Philippa Thomson (dentistry)</a><br>
<a href = "KateWest.html">Kate West (engineering)</a><br>
<a href = "profcomppublic.html">Professionalism, competition policy and the public interest: Issues paper (2003)</a><br>
<a href = "SenateTPAbriefing.html">Senate TPA inquiry briefing notes March 2004</a><br>
<a href = "ICActReview.html">Insurance Contracts Act review key documents</a><br>
<a href = "ACCCinsurancereviews.html">ACCC insurance market pricing reviews</a><br>
<a href = "SenatorCoonanwebsite.html">Senator Coonan website</a><br>
<a href = "InsuranceCouncil.html">Insurance Council website</a><br>
<a href = "CoonanJuly2003letter.html">Letter to Coonan on timing July 2003</a><br>
<a href = "MinletterMar2004.html">Letter to Ministers on timing March 2004</a><br>
<a href = "MinContOutMar2004ltr.html">Letter to Ministers against contracting out (March 2004)</a><br>
<a href = "12March2004update.html">Update 12 March 2004</a><br>
<a href = "TPAPSLinquiry.html">Senate Committee inquiry into Trade Practices Act amendments</a><br>
<a href = "AGM2003Pres.html">AGM 2003 Presidents Address</a><br>
<a href = "OMNov2003Pres.html">Ordinary Meeting November 2003 Presidents Address</a><br>
<a href = "HobartMediaFeb2004.html">Comments on Hobart Insurance Ministers meeting Feb 2004</a><br>
<a href = "Feb2004PISurveys.html">February 2004 professional indemnity surveys</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdltrs25Sep03.html">Higher Education letters 25 Sep 2003</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdmed8Oct2003.html">Higher Ed media 8 October 2003</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdltr6Nov03.html">Higher Ed letter 6 Nov 2003</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdltrs26Nov03.html">Higher Ed letters 26 Nov 2003</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdltr30Sep03.html">Higher Ed letter 30 September 03</a><br>
<a href = "HigherEdAFR13Oct03.html">Higher Education AFR Op Ed piece 13 October 03</a><br>
<a href = "pasub.html">National Competition Policy Review - PA Submission (2004)</a><br>
<a href = "profoftheyear.html">Announcement of 2004 Professional of the Year</a><br>
<a href = "membercodes.html">Examples of Member Codes</a><br>
<a href = "codeprinciples.html">Code Principles</a><br>
<br><P><STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(Proposed amendments are shown by </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">bold</SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> strikethrough and </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">bold underline</SPAN></U></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">. </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Supporting arguments are shown in italics.)</SPAN></I></STRONG></P>
<H2><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Part</SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">2-2</SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> </SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Commonwealth</SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Grant Scheme</SPAN></STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></H2>
<H3><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Clause 27-5 The Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines</SPAN></I></STRONG></H3>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The grants payable under this Part are also dealt with in the Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines. The provisions of this Part indicate when a particular matter is or may be dealt with in these guidelines.</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <B><U>The Guidelines specify requirements for community consultation through a national university-community consultative council and community consultative councils for each higher education provider.</U></B></SPAN><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Note 1: The Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines are made by the Minister under section 238-10.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Note 2: The Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines may also deal with matters arising under section 93-10.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">…</P>
<H3><I>Supporting arguments</I></H3>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Guidelines are the key to the Government’s approach to higher education. The Minister will be able to make or break Australian higher education through the Guidelines.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Minister needs to know that this Parliament insists that the Australian community will have a voice in higher education decision making.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">By writing in requirements for community consultation at this level – in the legislation itself – this Parliament indicates the importance it attaches to higher education decision making being based on information from the community about the community’s needs for professional graduates: where the shortages are now or will be in the future; where the retirement of older professionals is creating the need for replacements from recent graduates; where newly developing industries in the knowledge economy are creating needs for new types of professional graduates.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">There is ample evidence in the submissions to the Senate Committee from organisations like Professions </SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Australia</SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">, Engineers </SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Australia</SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">, the Australian Dental Association, the Geoscience Council and others about shortages in particular professions across the community. The Minister’s own department provided evidence on this subject to the recent Senate Committee inquiry on skills formation. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">It is a pity the Minister did not take some notice of that material when he was putting this higher education package together.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">University-Community Consultative Councils (U-CCCs) would channel the views of professional bodies, community groups, state and local governments, and other stakeholders into decision-making about the mix of courses and the funding of universities. They would ensure that information about needs was available or, where information was lacking, that research could be commissioned. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">There have been suggestions that the Commonwealth Grants Scheme and related incentive-based schemes run the risk that decision-making will be based solely on the not necessarily well-informed views of public servants and university administrators. U-CCCs would counter this tendency by feeding in a much wider range of views. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">U-CCCs would be composed a little differently at the national and university level. The national U-CCC might comprise Commonwealth, state and territory government representatives, and representatives of the AV-CC, national professional associations such as PA, business, and the community. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The national U-CCC would influence the setting of national guidelines for administering the Commonwealth Grants Scheme. It could take a national perspective on workforce supply and demand issues. It would have an independent chair reporting direct to the Minister. It could meet quarterly.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The national U-CCC would work with the university-based U-CCCs and other state and profession-specific bodies looking at workforce issues. But it would be important to preserve a degree of local autonomy for the university-based U-CCCs.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">A U-CCC for a particular university, on the other hand, could include representatives of the university, representatives of state and local governments, local professionals supported by the resources of their professional association, and local community and business representatives. The composition would vary from institution to institution – because, obviously, a suburban university serves a different community from a regional university.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">This U-CCC would feed information to its university about local needs for professional graduates in order to assist the university in its Commonwealth Grants Scheme negotiations with the Commonwealth. It would have an independent chair reporting to the national U-CCC chair. It would meet at least twice a year.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The details of U-CCCs can be worked out. At this stage, it is important that the legislation clearly flags the intention of this Parliament that these bodies be set up.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">There is a justified concern that the Government’s proposals for universities provide opportunities for Commonwealth bureaucrats to intrude into the running of universities. No-one who thinks about these issues wants this. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Government may believe that our universities are too important to the nation to be left to run themselves without government involvement. This Parliament should show the Government that universities are too important to the nation to be left to run without <U>community</U> involvement.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Community involvement through consultative councils, supported by commissioned research, is a much more palatable way of incorporating national priorities into the course and student mix at our universities than is bureaucratic intervention.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></P>
<P><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always" clear=all></SPAN></I></STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Clause 30-20 National priorities</SPAN></I></STRONG><B><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">A national priority is a particular outcome:</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(a) that relates to the provision of higher education; <B><S>and</S></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(b) that is an outcome specified in the Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines as a national priority; <B><U>and</U></B><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(c) that is supported by information obtained from community consultation in accordance with the Guidelines.</SPAN></U></B><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Note: The following are examples of national priorities:<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(a) increasing the number of persons undertaking particular courses of study;<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(b) increasing the number of particular kinds of persons undertaking courses of study;<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(c) increasing the number of persons in particular regions undertaking courses of study.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">…</P>
<H3><I>Supporting arguments</I></H3>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">This amendment makes clear that national priorities will not be developed from ad hoc, one-off investigations like those that have led to the Government’s initiatives on nursing and teaching. These initiatives are all very well on their own but there is a risk that, if we have a series of them, we will not make higher education decisions in a strategic way, balancing needs across a number of professions.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The amendment requires that decisions about national priorities are made with community involvement through the community consultation mechanism set out in our amendment to Clause 27-5. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">There should be a mechanism built in to consider, side-by-side, supply and demand issues for a range of professions, not just on an ad hoc basis. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">My attention has been drawn to a remark by the consultant David Phillips, who has a lot of experience in this area. He is a former senior official of the Department. He did some work for the Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. This is what he said in that report:</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 28.3pt 3pt 36pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Both the National Review of Nursing Education and the Australian Council of Deans of Education have emphasised that it would be in the national interest for a more coordinated workforce planning and policy development approach to be taken to ensuring the supply of nurses and teachers. While the Commonwealth has given a commitment within the Backing </SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Australia</SPAN></I><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">’s Future package to consulting with States and Territories about their workforce needs, it has not proposed any specific </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 28.3pt 3pt 36pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">new strategies or mechanisms to address the concerns that have been raised about the lack of a national whole-of-government approach.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Exactly. That is what we want to do with this amendment.</SPAN></I></P>
<P><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always" clear=all></SPAN></I></STRONG></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><STRONG><I><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Clause 33-15 Increases in assistance for higher education providers meeting certain requirements</SPAN></I></STRONG><B><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(1) A higher education provider’s basic grant amount for a year is increased under this section if:<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(a) the Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines impose on higher education providers either or both of the following:<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(i) requirements to be known as the National Governance Protocols;<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><B><S><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(ii) requirements based on the workplace relations policies of the Australian Government; and</SPAN></S></B><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(ii) requirements for consultation with the community served by the higher education provider; and</SPAN></U></B><B><U><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(b) the Minister is satisfied that the provider met those requirements as at a date, specified in the Grant Scheme Guidelines, in the year preceding that year.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(2) If subsection (1) applies to a higher education provider in relation to a year, the provider’s basic grant amount for the year is worked out as if the Commonwealth contribution amount for each funding cluster were increased by:<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(a) if the grant year is the year 2005—2.5%; and<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(b) if the grant year is the year 2006—5%; and<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">(c) if the grant year is a later year—7.5%.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></P>
<H3><I>Supporting arguments</I></H3>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Here we propose an amendment, first, to delete the link between additional monies under the Commonwealth Grants Scheme and compliance with workplace relations policies. The workplace relations link elevates a secondary issue to primacy and will have very little effect on outcomes. Many interest groups have argued for the deletion of this link.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Instead, the amendment inserts the ‘missing link’, the link to the community. It makes additional funding contingent upon evidence that effective community consultation has taken place.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">A community consultation requirement, and monitoring compliance with it – for example, by requiring reporting on consultation in the university’s annual report and that evidence of consultation be provided in the CGS annual negotiations – will contribute more to the achievement of educational objectives than will any link to workplace relations policies.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The community consultation requirement might be written into the national governance protocols applying to each university. But on balance, it would be more effective as a separate and explicit requirement to consult the individual university’s U-CCC (community consultative council) on matters of university policy and planning that affect the courses taught at the institution and their funding. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The extent and nature of consultation and how it actually affected university decision-making should be reported in the university’s annual report. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">We understand what the Government is getting at with the national governance protocols. There may well be some concerns about the efficiency of university councils. But some people have regarded the governance protocols, like the workplace relations requirements, as intrusive into the affairs of universities. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Whether or not this is true, we believe this Parliament should make clear that the community, local and national, must have a say in our universities. This amendment does that, by requiring effective community consultation as a condition of additional funding. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">It would be a terrible irony if the result of implementing the national governance protocols was that universities were more efficiently spending an increasing flow of money in the wrong direction. That is why these amendments stress the importance of community input about needs and skill shortages.</SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The effectiveness with which a university serves its community should be addressed just as explicitly as is the efficiency with which it spends its money. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Of course, a degree of flexibility in determining course mix and numbers needs to be retained by the university. On the other hand, this Parliament should be concerned at the lack of mechanisms existing or (so far) foreshadowed for bringing community input into the decision-making process. These mechanisms are the practical expression of the university’s role as a trustee of the community it serves. </SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 6pt 0cm 3pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">These amendments remedy that deficiency.</SPAN></I></P></STRONG>
</body>]]>