Bureaucrats’ push for UTAS city move off by more than a few degrees

Majority rule no answer as understanding evidence key, writes Dr Stephen Wilkinson

Dr Michael Rowan’s article pushing for wider ‘input’ into the proposed move of UTAS to Hobart city is worse than misguided – it’s both a step backwards towards the potential for anarchy of ‘the majority rules’ (ie. ruling roughshod over minorities), and it misunderstands the science of evidence, disappointing for an academic.

Contrary to Dr Rowan’s claim, democracy is not simply the testing of, then the implementation of, the will of the majority.

This form of ‘democracy’ leads to the worst excesses of minority abuse, where a powerful majority can force their will on minorities.

It’s taken 200 years for Australians to start to claw back their imposed will on the Aboriginal population from ‘majority rule’.

Dr Rowen misunderstands how sophisticated democracy operates today.

In Australia and most other advanced democracies we have representative democracy, a house of review, and separation of powers.

Instead of implementing majority polls, we choose individuals to represent us, they spend full time deliberating over issues, and reach better-informed decisions than every individual can make on the run during busy lives.

A further protective step is a senate, which reviews the decisions made by those elected representatives, lest even they make unfair decisions, disenfranchising weaker groups.

Thirdly, a legal system, separate from the political system, ensures that implementation of any decisions follows agreed rules.

So, should a survey of all Tasmanians decide to impose a decision that will trash an entire suburb and wreck a capital city, (which is the view of the majority who actually live here based on the recent local survey), then there are mechanisms by which Hobart residents can protect their interests and values from imposition by a distant majority. Yes, this is Tasmania’s university, but Hobart is also our home and capital city.

Secondly, evidence.

Dr Rowan provides statistics establishing a relatively worse uptake of UTAS education by local school leavers.

From this, the classic mistake of assuming causation, is made.

No evidence is provided that this poor uptake is the result of UTAS’s current campus site.

Yet this conclusion is made, or implied.

It is implausible.

An analysis of prestigious centres of learning is more likely to demonstrate that people are attracted to these institutions because of the high quality of the academics there and their work, not the buildings.

UTAS should have spent its money listening to its academics, recruiting further high quality individuals with good pay and conditions, and maintaining its infrastructure.

Instead, its bureaucrats are riding roughshod over its academics (who are disenfranchised and leaving), failing to maintain its buildings, and looking to run a degree mill based on profits from property deals.

UTAS bureaucracy has lost its way, lost its vision, and actually listens to no one. They need to be sent on their way, and a board of academics raised to re-establish the purpose and direction of Tasmania’s university, before it is totally trashed.

– Dr Stephen Wilkinson AM is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

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