Unis can handle cuts: Minister

FEDERAL Education Minister Simon Birmingham says he is confident universities can manage the Government’s proposed cut in taxpayer funding for higher education.

But the National Tertiary Education Union said the University of Tasmania and others would be hit hard by the changes.

Speaking at a higher education conference in Sydney yesterday, Senator Birmingham said there were “plenty of opportunities where universities can manage their costs with their available revenues”.

“Savings and efficiencies don’t have to go to the heart of teaching, learning or regional campuses,” he said.

The Government is facing a fight to get a university package — including a two-year 2.5 per cent “efficiency dividend” on teaching funding, an increase to student fees, lowering the repayment threshold for student loans and tying some funding to university performance — through the Federal Parliament.

The union’s Tasmanian division president, John Kenny, said UTAS stood to lose about $20 million over four years if the changes went ahead.

“It will put more pressure on staffing and drive us to more casualisation,” Dr Kenny said. “With UTAS trying to recruit more low socio-economic students, it’s just going to discourage them further.”