Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Postgraduate Forum: RMIT 23/10/2008 Postgraduates and Higher Education 2008 Nigel Palmer Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA)

CAPA’s 2007 Election Priorities 1.Better support for the next generation of researchers 2.Income support reform for postgraduate students 3.A sustainable higher education sector 4.Sustainable, independent student representation and services

Inquiry into Research Training and Research Workforce Issues in Australian Universities This inquiry was referred to the House of Reps. Industry, Science and Innovation Committee by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, in April of this year. The Inquiry received 105 submissions, and has been holding public hearings since June. Among submissions to the Inquiry:   53 called for an increase in the annual rate of the Australian Postgraduate award to a level of at least $25,000   36 recommended extending the duration of the APA to either 3.5 or 4 years, with the opportunity for an additional 6 months   14 called for greater flexibility for APA recipients to be able to study part time   8 called for part time awards to be exempt as assessable income for income support or taxation purposes International research students also featured prominently in submissions to the Inquiry:   26 called for improvements in the rate and/or number of IPRS scholarships   15 called for improvements in visa conditions

Twenty five submissions to the Inquiry referred to media reports that the rate of the standard APA would for the first time fall below the Henderson Poverty Line for single individuals by the end of The Inquiry report is due to be tabled in the parliament by the end of 2008.

Report on the Review of the National Innovation System 6.1 Commonwealth to fund the full cost of university research 6.2 Research block funding to be based on ERA performance 6.9APAs to be allocated to institutions based on ERA performance 6.10ERA performance “rankings” to be made publicly available 6.11APAs to be increased to at least $25K (indexed), and extended to 4 years 6.12Additional fellowships schemes needed for recent PhD graduates and early career researchers

Future Fellowship Scheme   Along with doubling the number of APAs in the 2008 Federal Budget, the government also honoured its election commitment to fund a new fellowships scheme for mid-career researchers.   The Future Fellowships scheme provides for 250 new four-year fellowships each year for the next 5 years. Each attracts a salary of up to $140,000 per year, along with a $50,000 research infrastructure grant for the duration of the fellowship.   Positive features of the scheme include recognition that many researchers may need to take up fellowships on a part-time basis, and interrupted career paths and time away from research are accounted for in the selection process.   To be eligible under the Future Fellowships scheme researchers must be between 5 and 15 years out from completion of their PhD.   Although appropriate for a scheme directed toward mid-career researchers, this scheme does not address the urgent need for improved measures in support of early career researchers, including recent PhD graduates.   The report based on the consultation undertaken earlier this year is not expected to be made public.   Applications are due to open before the end of the year, and the first round of fellowships will be awarded in 2009.

Australian Laureate Fellowships The recently announced Australian Laureate Fellowships will replace the existing Federation Fellowships scheme. The scheme is designed around teams of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, with the professorial (Level E) Laureate Fellow at the core.   The scheme will be funded to $239M, providing 15 new Fellowships per year over the next five years. Each Fellowship “package” is worth $3M, itself funded for a duration of 5 years. Each provides for up to two post-doctoral research fellowships; and up to two research postgraduate stipends, along with a professorial salary supplement of $100,000 and project funding to $300,000 per year.   The scheme recognises the central role postgraduates and early career researchers play in building teams around centres of expertise. This approach reflects a shift in emphasis away from the individualistic approach to a team-focused model, with support for early and mid-career researchers central to the operation of the scheme.   Applications are expected to open mid October.   Fellowships program for early career researchers 0-5 years out from PhD?   Measures to address casualisation and insecure environment for ECR’s?

Excellence in Research for Australia Initiative (ERA)  In February of this year the replacement for the ill-fated Research Quality Framework (or RQF) was announced, in the form of the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative.  This exercise in research assessment represents a significant improvement on its predecessor, most importantly in recognising the central role that postgraduates play in sustaining the bulk of Australia’s research and development output. _

Excellence in Research for Australia Initiative (ERA) Consultation Paper (May 2008) Under the RQF, only senior academics’ research activity was factored into funding outcomes: –Creating incentives for the diversion of resources away from postgraduates and early career researchers in support of more high profile, established academics –Effectively put pressure on the IP and authorship rights of postgraduates and early career researchers. Under the new scheme postgraduate publications count for points in their own right: –recognising them as an asset as opposed to a liability –Creates incentives for supporting postgraduates and early career researchers to build their skills, experience and research portfolio through publication The ERA may end up doing more than just provide a measure of university research activity: it has the potential to be central to a broad range of funding programs for research (including, for example, the allocation of APAs to institutions as recommended in the Innovation Review).

Excellence in Research for Australia Initiative (ERA) Consultation Paper (May 2008) Counting research student enrolment load as opposed to individuals may: – –Create disincentives for academic departments to take on research students likely to need to enrol part time – –Effectively penalises institutions with a high proportion of part time research enrolments. Counting individuals however resolves these issues, at no significant cost to the scheme. The summary report for the consultation process is not expected to be made public. However, a number of determinations on issues raised in the Consultation Paper have already been made, including: – –Attribution of publications to be determined based on the location of researchers as at the census date of March 31st, 2008 – –Non-salaried staff (where they meet certain criteria) are to be included for assessment. A Pilot for the scheme, involving Physical, Chemical and Earth Science disciplines, will run from October 1 through to November 14.

Recap: What’s missing? 1.Better support for the next generation of researchers 2.Income support reform for postgraduate students 3.A sustainable higher education sector 4.Sustainable, independent student representation and services

Access to Youth Allowance, Abstudy or Austudy should be extended to all students enrolled in a tertiary degree, regardless of the nature of the course in which they are enrolled. The “Bradley” Review of Australian Higher Education

Sustainability in higher education? (Bradley Review…) VSU? (Discussion Paper on VSU impact…) ….

Postgraduates and Higher Education 2008 Nigel Palmer Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA)