Unis are unfairly criticised, says Universities Australia chief David Lloyd

Universities are victims of the tall poppy syndrome and are unfairly singled out for criticism, according to the new leader of the university lobby group.

Universities Australia chair David Lloyd at the National Press Club on Wednesday. Picture: Martin Ollman

Universities are victims of the tall poppy syndrome and have been unfairly singled out for criticism, according to the new leader of Universities Australia, the group which represents 39 comprehensive universities.

UA chair David Lloyd told the National Press Club on Wednesday that “somehow, universities have ended up as a ready punch bag or an easy target, used to score points in some inexplicable game of tall poppy decapitation, without assessing the facts of the matter”.

Professor Lloyd, who is vice-chancellor of the University of South Australia and was recently appointed chair of UA, said trust in professionals trained by universities – such as doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers – was inexplicably higher than the level of trust in universities.

“We know that the Australian population turns to universities as sources for truth and as sources of innovation and enterprise and skilled graduates,” he said, naming the Covid pandemic as an example of when university expertise was called on.

“All Australians are better off for the presence and contribution of our universities. This is irrefutable fact. These are ­national challenges and opportunities we simply can’t rise to without universities, which is why we need our universities to be better supported, to be properly supported, to enable us to do our job for the nation.”

He said universities had been damaged by a decade of changing government policies which had “terrible consequences”. It had led to caps on the number of subsidised student places in universities, fee changes which sent confused market signals to students, cuts to new infrastructure, and government investment in R&D falling to an all-time low as a share of GDP.

Professor Lloyd welcomed the Albanese government’s Universities Accord review, saying it had the potential to shape the ­direction of higher education.

He said government funding needed to shift from a focus on three-year degrees and be geared more to shorter courses that more quickly met Australia’s needs. He said six-month microcredential courses, one-year courses and sub-bachelor degrees should be considered.

Professor Lloyd said changes to the university system should not be labelled as “reform”.

“Reform infers a requirement to change to compensate for an inherent deficit or irrelevance,” he said. “Our institutions … are not in need of reform so defined, but rather of support as they seek to further improve.”