The concept of academic rights is greatly misunderstood, even among some university academics. This paper provides a summary of the historical development of the academic rights from the Roman to the modern era. Many documents and declarations advocating academic rights have been produced, and this paper presents a discussion of the recent…

Globalisation has brought increasing diversity in student populations and therefore the potential for different sorts of knowledges to enter the academy. At the same time there is heightened surveillance brought about in response to the pressures of global competition, including increasing standardisation, marketisation and performativity…

Successive waves of neoliberal reforms to higher education have taken their toll on the academy. This paper uses the zombie metaphor to discuss the causes and consequences of organisational change on Australian academics as a background to exploring zombiefication as a form of passive resistance and survival. The paper uses the literature and…

Markets have a number of uses. One increasingly important use of markets by politicians is as a means of regulating the supply and distribution of goods and services formerly supplied and distributed by governments on non-market bases. The use of markets as a regulator of higher education is not novel. However, the increased reliance on markets as…

There is little doubt that the modern university is far different to that of the early 90s and the work of academics has changed considerably over this time driven by the efficiency and accountability agenda. In taking stock of the changes, it needs to be recognised that often the cry for efficiency and accountability has been used as a mechanism…

It's become a truism that Australian higher education nowadays is in a state of perpetual change. The next round of changes to research and teaching funding, however, will permanently alter the face of the sector. We asked five of Australia's most prominent Vice-Chancellors to anticipate the future face of higher education. NTEU's Carolyn Allport…

In the increasingly research and innovation-driven landscape of higher education, the Federal Government's Teaching and Learning Fund is supposed to redress the balance. Leesa Wheelehan is unconvinced. She argues the fund simply encourages game-playing between institutions in manipulating their teaching outcomes, and rewards good teaching on…

In recent years university governance has come in from the cold, so to speak, and is now the subject of some debate in political and academic venues. The core issue for debate is the appropriateness and effectiveness of current university governance structures. This debate is particularly critical in light of the increased professionalisation of…

Universities in Australia, as part of the public sector and reliant on public funding, are increasingly the subject of pressure for greater accountability and organisational change. The role of senior managers in the sector is often to be change agents and to manage the change process effectively. However the implementation of any change envisaged…

The more immediate context of the events the author describes in this article is needed in order to identify the policy framework within which the Australian National University (ANU)-Canberra CAE (CCAE) merger was placed as a component of a wider public policy initiative undertaken by John Dawkins. There were four major components in that wider…

Over the last decade, in both Australia and Britain, universities have been under increasing pressure to make themselves accountable for the extent to which they cultivate in their students transferable skills and "attributes" that will prepare them for the rapidly-changing world of employment. The Government's "Striving for Quality" document…

Academics are prone to mythologizing a lost golden age. As a result, it is often difficult to pinpoint what about new management methods that causes frustration and resentment. The authors look at the "audit culture" of contemporary universities, and suggest that such a culture promotes verbal dishonesty and an atmosphere of mistrust.

The major changes mandated by Australia for its higher education system and the apparent reasons for the changes are outlined, and the strategies adopted for change are critiqued. Changes relate primarily to administrative organization, governance, resource allocation, and accountability. (MSE)

Australia's national policy concerning equity in higher education is examined, particularly policy concerning funding and accountability mechanisms. The absence of any analytical or theoretical basis for planning and prioritization of equity initiatives and resulting limitations on their effectiveness are discussed. (MSE)

The provisions in Australia's 1993 Higher Education Budget Statement regarding equity, diversity, and educational quality are examined. The discussion draws on current models of governance of public and private systems to examine ways in which the federal government has imposed accountability mechanisms on institutions. (Author/MSE)