The previous government did not bother to disguise its contempt for much of the work of universities. The new government is big on the importance of VET. Universities Australia needs a re-set

UA chair John Dewar (VC La Trobe U) has a chance today when he speaks at the National Press Club.

Professor Dewar is expected to address issues where his members variously want change, such as to the previous government’s Job Ready Graduate package, and to push perennials – research funding and more undergraduate places.

But his overall message is anticipated to focus on demonstrating what universities deliver, including the essential role of health and medical graduates in the pandemic and the importance of universities as employers of large numbers of people who aren’t academics and as engines of economic expansion.

The address may offer a contrast in style with that of former chair, Margaret Gardner, who engaged directly with government, criticising the coalition in 2018 for there being “money to cut taxes but cuts to education (CMM January 16 2018). Last year Professor Gardner, speaking as VC of Monash U, suggested a “buffer body” as the place for funding and political issues, “in ways that are considered and not driven by populist politics (CMM October 13 2021).