Higher education top 50 most influential people 2014

THE most influential people of 2014.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne in Question Time in the House of Representatives Chamber, Parliament House in Canberra.

THE fact there are 27 new names in the 2014 list compared to 2013 is a clear illustration of what a big year in higher education it has been. A swathe of now-retired Labor politicians have disappeared, replaced by politicians of every colour and persuasion and a host of lobbyists — both pro and anti-deregulation.

Because that is what 2014 has been about. Deregulation — of fees, of providers and of courses. It was a very big bucket of reform to throw at an unsuspecting sector in the May budget.
To that end, Christopher Pyne is undisputedly at the top of the list. Love him or loathe him, support his reforms or revile them, it’s all we have talked about for seven long months. And it’s not over yet. Pyne’s self-described “indefatigable” nature will see the New Year arrive with him on the phone (with, hopefully, not too much texting) doing everything he can to persuade the non-believers.

Of course, the list is not definitive. There are plenty of people behind the scenes who wield considerable influence but choose not to step into the limelight. There are others on the list who are only there because they like hogging the limelight but are arguably all tip and no berg, to borrow a line from Paul Keating.

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Have a restful break.

Julie Hare
Bernard Lane
Andrew Trounson
John Ross
Kylar Loussikian