Unis still think deregulation can pass

Universities are fed up with being kicked about parliament and want some policy certainty. But Universities Australia still believes that at the end of all the kicking, fee deregulation could pass. Chief executive Belinda Robinson concedes the numbers in the Senate do not look great for the government to pass its contentious higher education legislation. "Nevertheless, I wouldn't be surprised if it does," she told the National Press Club on Wednesday. Whatever the outcome, the sector is determined to keep a debate about higher education alive. Uncertainty surrounding funding had to end, Ms Robinson said. "The higher education community has grown weary of being kicked about the parliament like a Nerf ball with the fingers of our university leaders tightly crossed, hoping that nothing of value gets smashed," Ms Robinson said. Education Minister Christopher Pyne's enthusiasm remains for his reforms, although he has "almost given up hope" of getting Labor and the Greens onside. He continues to negotiate with crossbench senators, including on adjustments that could lead to universities losing government subsidies if they hike fees too high. "But so far the crossbenchers haven't indicated to me that they would vote for the reforms if the reasonable fees mechanism was part of it," Mr Pyne told reporters in Brisbane. Labor has opposed deregulation since it was announced in last May's budget. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Wednesday began to outline his party's alternative policy, with a focus on educational quality. Mr Pyne accused Labor of wanting to re-cap undergraduate places and called for Mr Shorten to pull his higher education spokesman, Kim Carr, into line. But Mr Shorten indicated reversing the Gillard-era uncapping was not in his plans. "This is not a matter of forcing down enrolment to improve quality," he said. "It is about lifting standards to catch up to the new levels of access and equity." Meanwhile, the nation's top universities used paid advertisements to describe as "dumb" the government's linking of research funding to fee deregulation. The Group of Eight universities are the strongest supporters of Mr Pyne's plan, but they are not happy with $150 million in funding depending on the Senate passing deregulation. Mr Pyne admitted funding for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy was "inextricably linked" to his legislation. Nevertheless, he saw the ads not as criticism of the government but a call to arms for senators to pass the bill. AAP