By Mandy Oakham
Deakin’s Vice-Chancellor has blasted the proposed university funding cuts, claiming they will do major damage to the Geelong community and economy.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander said the cuts would impact the Geelong economy by affecting investments into the Geelong Innovation Project and the development of business partnerships.
“In Geelong, reducing our income by 2.5 per cent for two years running, will erode our ability to commercialise new products, processes and applications and most of all, it will impact on our capacity to continue to help Geelong’s economy transform and to continue to create the jobs of the future for the community we serve across the region,” Professor den Hollander said.
“Carbon Revolution, Carbon Nexus and many others would not be where they are today if the university had not had funds to invest to support the creation of the jobs of the future in Geelong.
“Deakin’s examples of innovation, acceleration and product incubation fit exactly with what has been emphasised by the government’s own national innovation and science agenda, so it is concerning that the proposed cuts to higher education seem to contradict this agenda.”
Professor den Hollander said that the cuts coming alongside an increase in university fees was creating an unnecessary burden for students.
“We should be supporting and nurturing the next generation. The double whammy of higher uni fees and the impact of the housing affordability crisis is unhelpful. We should enable the next generation to be the smartest they can be,” she said.
Earlier this week nine universities serving some of the country’s most disadvantaged and regional communities added their voices to the growing chorus of strong opposition to university cuts and at the same time a statement from the Group of Eight universities called on the Senate to block the government’s proposed higher education legislation.
The latest moves follow the statement by Universities Australia Chair Professor Margaret Gardner, declaring the sector’s unanimous opposition to the proposed university funding cuts and student fee increases, and majority opposition to the Bill as a whole, after Vice-Chancellors met on 16 May.
