Review of Higher Education Institutions In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Please cite this paper as: State of Victoria (2010), “The State of Victoria, Australia: Self- Evaluation Report”, OECD Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development, IMHE, http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/regionaldevelopment OECD Reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development The State of Victoria, Australia SELF-EVALUATION REPORT Prepared by the Victorian Government Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development The Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, under the guidance of a Steering Committee and in collaboration with a number of higher education institutions in the State of Victoria, prepared this report as an input to the OECD Review of Higher Education in Regional and City Development. It was prepared in response to guidelines provided by the OECD to all participating regions. The guidelines encouraged constructive and critical evaluation of the policies, practices and strategies in HEIs’ regional engagement. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the State of Victoria, DIIRD, the OECD or its Member countries. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Self Evaluation Report for Victoria would not have been possible without the detailed and substantial individual input provided by the Victorian higher education institutions (HEIs) in accordance with the OECD guidelines. The quality of the Report is enhanced considerably by comments from them and from industry and government representatives on earlier drafts of the Report. Still others have contributed to the Report through workshops, teleconferences and face to face meetings on key themes and issues facing Victoria. All this was accomplished within a very short period of time, a testimony to the commitment of those involved in ensuring that the contribution of Victorian HEIs to regional development and engagement is maximised. The Self Evaluation Report for Victoria has been prepared under the direction of a Steering Committee from the Victorian Government Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (DIIRD). DIIRD would particularly like to acknowledge the contribution of Professor John Howard, who wrote and edited this report. The Steering Committee Jane Niall, Deputy Secretary Policy and Co-ordination, DIIRD Justin Hanney, Chief Executive Regional Development Victoria (RDV), DIIRD Brendan Sheehan, Director Higher Education, Governance and Support, Skills Policy Development & Coordination, DIIRD David Hanna, Deputy Secretary International Coordination, DIIRD The Project Team Faye Burton, independent contractor appointed OECD Regional Coordinator for Victoria for the term of the project Prof John H Howard, Pro Vice Chancellor (Development), University of Canberra, and formerly principal of Howard Partners Pty Ltd Pin Ng, Senior Policy Adviser, Policy and Coordination, DIIRD Mathew Harris, Manager Higher Education, Skills Policy Development & Coordination, DIIRD Nadia Reid, Manager, Regional Strategic Planning, RDV, DIIRD Lill Healy, Executive Director, Regional Strategic Planning, RDV, DIIRD James Hodges, Executive Director, International Coordination, DIIRD Reference Group Representatives of HEIs, industry and government organisations. The Office of Knowledge Capital‟s assistance with the formation of the Reference Group and convening its meetings is gratefully acknowledged. I TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. I TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... II EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................IX CONTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH TO REGIONAL INNOVATION ............................................................. IX CONTRIBUTION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING TO LABOUR MARKET AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IX CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT .............................. X CAPACITY BUILDING FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION ....................................................................... XI LOOKING AHEAD ............................................................................................................................... XI LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. XIII 1. OVERVIEW OF THE VICTORIA REGION ................................................................... 1 1.1 GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 DEMOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 THE ECONOMIC BASE ............................................................................................................. 2 1.3.1 Output ............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3.2 Industry ........................................................................................................................... 2 1.3.3 Labour Market Indicators ............................................................................................... 3 1.3.4 Education ........................................................................................................................ 3 1.4 CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................ 4 1.5 GOVERNANCE ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.6 THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN VICTORIA‟S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................................ 4 1.6.1 Increasing the Stock of Codified Knowledge and Problem Solving With Industry ......... 4 1.6.2 Educating People ............................................................................................................ 5 1.6.3 Providing Public Space ................................................................................................... 5 1.6.4 Contribution to Economic Development ......................................................................... 6 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN VICTORIA ... 7 2.1 THE AUSTRALIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM ................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Objective ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Legislative Basis ............................................................................................................. 7 2.1.3 Unified National System .................................................................................................. 8 2.1.4 Funding Basis ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.5 Regional Loadings .......................................................................................................... 9 2.1.6 ‘Third stream’ Funding ................................................................................................. 10 2.2 THE VICTORIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM .................................................................... 10 2.2.1 Higher Education Providers ......................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 Economic Impact........................................................................................................... 11 2.2.3 Location of University Campuses ................................................................................. 11 2.2.4 University Finances ...................................................................................................... 13 2.2.5 Staffing .......................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.6 Students ......................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.7 Research ........................................................................................................................ 17 2.2.8 Victorian Government Financial Support for Universities ........................................... 19 2.3 HIGHER EDUCATION RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ELEMENTS IN THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................. 20 2.4 ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES IN THE VICTORIAN TERTIARY SYSTEM ........................................ 22 2.5 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 23 II 3. CONTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH TO REGIONAL INNOVATION ........................ 26 3.1 RESPONDING TO REGIONAL NEEDS AND DEMANDS ............................................................. 26 3.1.1 Policy Frameworks ....................................................................................................... 26 3.1.2 Victoria’s Innovation Strategy ...................................................................................... 28 3.1.3 Research .......................................................................................................................