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21 avril 2013

Dumb Cuts - Dumber Country

http://www.nteu.org.au//var/files/thumbs/a780532dd116f8da145bac8c4c7961bc_d400e3da617b0f8f5570e468b82e6ada_w372_h83_.jpgRestore funding to our universities and their students
On Saturday 13 April 2013, the newly appointed Minister for Tertiary Education, Dr Craig Emerson, announced $2.3b in budget savings from the higher education sector to help fund the implementation of the Government’s reforms to school education.  The cuts covering the period 2013-14 to 2016-17 are comprised of:
    * $900m in efficiency dividends of 2% in 2014 and 1.25% in 2015 which apply to all grants under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, excluding Australian Postgraduate Awards.
    * $1.2b savings from converting Student Start-up Scholarship (SSS) to HECS type loans, and
    * $229m by removing the 10 per cent discount for up-front HECS payments.
Responding to the announcement, NTEU National President, Jeannie Rea said, “The NTEU applauds increased government investment in education and welcomes the school education reforms. However, this should not come at the cost of public investment in universities and support for higher education students.”
NTEU calls upon members and all those who oppose these further cuts to make their opposition known to the Federal Government.
Subject*
Stop the $2.3b cuts to higher education
Dear [appropriate name will be inserted],

I am writing to you to express my anger and dismay at your decision to cut $2.3 billion from higher education announced last Saturday 13 April 2013.  
Whilst I support increased levels of public investment in our schools, one sector of education should not be cut to finance initiatives in another.
Your Government has made important policy initiatives and significantly increased public investment in higher education since the release of the Transforming Australian Higher Education and Powering Ideas suite of policies in May 2009. However, higher education has been cut every time your Government has made budgetary savings to help the government achieve its fiscal policy targets. 
In addition to the most recent $2.3 billion cuts, last October there was a $1billion cut to university funding. 
Your Government has not delivered the much needed ten percent increase in real funding per student, as recommended by evidence presented to both the both the Bradley and Base Funding reviews. The failure of the government to increase real funding per student is resulting in increased student staff ratios, unsustainable academic and general staff workloads and an increasing reliance of casual lecturers and tutors to deliver undergraduate teaching at our universities. 
I am also dismayed at the decision to convert the Student Start-up Scholarships (SSS) to loans, thus increasing the debt burden upon financially disadvantaged students. The SSS initiative has proven its worth in not only encouraging students to enrol in university, but has provided valuable ongoing financial assistance and lessened their debt burdens. This latest decision is contrary to the ALP’s commitments to social inclusion.  On behalf of my colleagues and students I ask you to seriously reconsider these cuts.
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