University of Melbourne submission to the Universities Accord
The University of Melbourne’s submission to the Universities Accord focuses on proposals for significant system reform in five key areas:
- Developing a student-centred and integrated postsecondary education system
- Building a robust and sustainable higher education funding system
- Meeting the full economic costs of research
- Supporting Indigenous knowledges and the full participation of Indigenous Australians in universities
- Building an Accord for the long term
These proposed reforms are supported by eight recommendations, which the University believes are necessary for universities to operate at the highest levels of excellence and to fulfil their mission into the future. Among the list of recommendations in the University’s submission are:
- An integrated higher education system that better meets the needs of students and lifelong learning and that expands participation;
- The abolition of the Job Ready Graduates funding regime and the reintroduction of a fairer flat fee system for students to support better access, excellence and equity;
- Replacing the R&D Tax Incentive with a targeted Business Expenditure on Research and Development Incentive Fund;
- The adoption of a whole of government commitment to funding the full economic cost of research. This will free up resources for students and equity support.
Commenting on the University of Melbourne’s Accord submission, the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell said: “The Accord process represents a landmark opportunity for the sector and the Federal Government to work together to identify the priorities and set the policies that will give universities a platform to build for the future.
“It invites us to think about the challenges Australia faces over the coming decades, and what roles universities must play in helping to meet those challenges. It therefore represents an exciting opportunity to take the long view and chart a path to a preferred future.
“This requires us to identify the big whole-of-system reforms which we must make, as well as the things we need to do right now to support this path.
“The University of Melbourne’s submission suggests reforms that are ambitious, but appropriate, if we are to capitalise on the opportunity that the Accord affords us.”
The University of Melbourne’s submission to the Universities Accord is available here.