The Australian | 12 December 2012
Opposition leader Tony Abbott has written to all vice-chancellors complaining about recent cuts to education. The Opposition Leader said the cuts to higher education, research and student support amount to $1 billion, but he itemised only $750 million in his letter.
However, the letter, dated 23 November, did not sketch out any Coalition policy for higher education or research, butsimply said:
Governments shouldn’t promise one thing and then do another. The Coalition will not over-promise and under-deliver.
Damon Alexander, a political scientist from the University of Melbourne who is a co-researcher on an Australian Research Council grant into policy innovation and leadership in government, said the letter was totally lacking in substance. “Why would you bother sending out such a letter?” Dr Alexander asked.
He said while itis good to see Mr Abbott was concerned about recent cuts, he hoped Coalition policy would support the “immediate provision of the aforementioned income support and reinstate the promised SRE (Sustainable Research Excellence) funding…I’m much more confident that they won’t over-promise, though.”
The Coalition was equally non-committal when asked if it would fund ongoing costs and staffing of national research facilities.
