Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

deplores the waste and mismanagement by the Gillard Government which has led to the decision to abolish the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC);

(b)

condemns this decision because the ALTC better directs the expenditure of billions of taxpayers’ dollars on teaching and learning in higher education;

(c)

considers that, in light of the Gillard Government nominating education and skills as top priorities for 2011, the abolition of the ALTC sends the signal that, despite its rhetoric, the Government does not care about improving excellence in teaching and learning;

(d)

considers that the abolition of the ALTC will have a deleterious effect on the Bradley agenda of higher education reform, particularly the Government’s commitment to increase the participation in higher education to 40 per cent of all 25 to 34 year olds by 2025; and

(e)

notes that more than 2 200 concerned citizens have now signed an electronic petition calling for the ALTC to be retained.