The realities of government
The Rudd government is considering placing tougher requirements on businesses to disclose the number of women they employ and blocking firms from industry assistance or bidding for goverment contracts...
View ArticleThe myth of Commonwealth competence
During the week, as Pollytics blog reported, Essential Research found strong support for a Commonwealth takeover of hospitals. But as The Weekend Australian‘s editorial argued, the lesson from the...
View ArticleATO unable to HELP
I’ve spent part of my long-service leave doing a subject through Open Universities Australia. But as well as learning more about statistics, I thought I could use my enrolment to make a point. Though...
View ArticleA hopelessly flawed university ‘equity’ policy
Alas, the government’s equity funding policy announced today is no better than the draft version released late last year. Here’s a quick summary of what’s wrong with it: 1) It is based on an arbitrary...
View ArticleBanning degrees
In recent years ‘Juris Doctor’ (JD) programs have proliferated around the country (eg U of M, UNSW, Monash, Sydney). JDs are initial professional entry qualifications for legal practice, but in theory...
View ArticleThe coming end of academic autonomy
On Friday the government released draft legislation for the biggest change to higher education organisation since the forced mergers of the Dawkins years: a new, national higher education quality...
View ArticleThis minister isn’t a threat to academic freedom. But what about the next one?
In Senate estimates hearings last week (they only put the transcript up today, large pdf): Senator MASON [shadow minister for universities] —Andrew Norton wrote an interesting article the other day...
View ArticleStrangling political activity with red tape
Just before I was about to finally get my campaign finance paper released, the Queensland ALP rammed through its campaign finance amendments to their electoral act – forcing many revisions. (The...
View ArticleBureaucratic overkill on campaign finance law
NSW and Queensland have extremely complex campaign finance laws. I think the underlying assumptions – that we need regulation to limit ‘undue influence’ and to ensure the voices of the rich don’t drown...
View ArticleThe TEQSA mistake
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency legislation passed through the Senate yesterday, and is expected to receive Coalition backing in the House of Representatives. As I seem to be the...
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