University of Queensland votes to defer full-fee domestic places

The University of Queensland Senate on June 5 accepted the recommendation of Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay not to introduce full-fee places for Australian students at this time.

Professor Hay said a process of wide consultation within the University had persuaded the strategic planning committee to recommend deferral at this time, a position endorsed by the Academic Board on May 19.

Professor Hay, who chairs the strategic planning committee, said that while recommending against the introduction of full-fee places for Australian undergraduates in 1998, the committee proposed that the matter should be kept under review, based on advice from faculties on levels of demand and capacity, consultation with professional groups and market research.

Professor Hay said the strategic planning committee had recognised that the probable demand for undergraduate fee-paying places was limited to a small number of high-demand professional courses, and before any introduction, detailed consultation with the professions would be required to avoid oversupply.

However, there were also uncertainties because of the fluid state of government policy which could be modified further by the outcomes of the West Committee of Review of Higher Education Financing and Policy. This could make review of full-fees necessary.

Professor Hay said the Senate had supported the option of a repeat offering of subjects on a full-fee basis in a summer semester to allow accelerated progress or catch up on subjects that had been missed. Students would always be provided with opportunities at other times to complete the subjects on a HECS-liable basis.

Senate had also supported action to maintain and enhance the quality of postgraduate coursework programs, which had suffered a reduction in government-funded places, by increasing the availability of full-fee postgraduate coursework places.

Professor Hay said equity of access was a recurrent issue at all stages of the debate on the provision of full-fee places, and could not be dissociated from national demographic patterns.

Professor Hay said it had been a continuing complaint that the shifting population trends in Australia had not been matched by the allocation of HECS-funded places.

"The recent increases in the allocation of Commonwealth-funded places to Queensland go some way to correcting this historical imbalance but do not recognise the continuing rapid growth in Queensland's population," Professor Hay said.

It was clear that an increased proportion of new places in future should be allocated to the growth states of Queensland, and to a lesser extent Western Australia, to maintain reasonable equity.

It was also inequitable that the belated attempts in recent years to correct Queensland's under provision of funded tertiary places had been carried out at marginal or lower levels of funding sufficient only for extra places in cheaper courses, not at the level required to fund the more costly physical, biological and information sciences.

"The University of Queensland believes it is inappropriate to restrict growth in this way in the light of its scientific, technological and economic responsibilities. It would be unfair and irresponsible if this mode of funding were to continue." Professor Hay said.

For further information, contact Professor Hay, telephone 07 3365 1300.