Nick Riemer, senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, addressed a Town Hall meeting on August 25 on the proposed deregulation of fees at Australian universities. Riemer is a member of the NTEU Sydney University branch committee.
***
Fee deregulation means the entrenchment of educational disadvantage and the enclosure of knowledge in our society.
That鈥檚 not irresponsible exaggeration: it鈥檚 an accurate characterisation that follows from the careful modelling done by a number of authorities.
A key argument put by deregulation-supporters, including [Sydney university vice-chancellor] Michael Spence, is that only it can safeguard 鈥渜uality鈥.
But 鈥渜uality鈥 has a habit of lining up with privilege 鈥 and there鈥檚 a simple analogy that shows why Michael鈥檚 鈥渜uality鈥 argument for deregulation is so wrong.
In a food shortage, you couldn鈥檛 argue that only the rich should get adequate nourishment.
Education is a human right, like food-resources. It too should be equally available to everyone.
READ MORE: Sydney University meeting opposes cuts
Vice-Chancellor, you鈥檝e disguised your opposition to that principle with progressive sounding cavils about equity 鈥 but, in essence, you鈥檝e sided with Pyne, Abbott, Hockey 鈥 the same people who want to comprehensively dismantle social protections in this country.
It鈥檚 simply shameful that you are supporting these thugs. You鈥檙e out of step both with public opinion, and with the good of society.
Let鈥檚 be clear: there鈥檚 nothing about the University of Sydney that justifies our flourishing at the expense of Wollongong or Southern Queensland.
Mediocre standards for all is far more just than the educational disadvantage of the many for the benefit of the few.
In a just world, free public education would be funded through higher taxes 鈥 particularly on millionaire CEOs like the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor.
That鈥檚 not utopianism: it鈥檚 an essential political and social project.
Ms Hutchinson, Dr Spence, you should be using your influence to publicly oppose billions of dollars that could go to education being thrown instead at warplanes, the persecution of refugees, and the destruction of the environment.
Instead, you鈥檝e shown nothing but market tunnel-vision, cooperation with the most backward forces in Australian politics, and an implacable opposition to genuine consultation.
We can only imagine the contortions and evasions that must have taken place in the secret Senate meeting that evidently decided that a motion explicitly on deregulation wouldn鈥檛 be debated tonight.
Dr Spence, Ms Hutchinson, you say you鈥檙e lobbying government, but it鈥檚 exactly that disastrous and failed inside-the-tent strategy that has emboldened Pyne to now blackmail us with cuts to research funding.
You and other university leaders have been complicit with the erosion of public higher education in Australia.
Your actions show that you鈥檙e unfit to lead an institution supposedly committed to the collegial harnessing of reason for the betterment of the society as a whole.
For the good of this society, we must fight deregulation, and we must win. That鈥檚 a precondition for the development and growth of everyone, not just the wealthy.
Like the article? Subscribe to 麻豆传媒 now! You can also us on Facebook and on Twitter.