Australia’s asylum seeker policies cost the budget $1.3 b. The lions share is spent on offshore processing which has serious legal and ethical shortcomings and moreover generates further costs in relation to deleterious health impacts. Reintroduced following the Houston panel and the legally meaningless ‘no advantage’ test, current expensive policies have not resulted in decreasing risks to life at sea or irregular maritime arrivals.

Against all available evidence as to efficacy or desirability, the commitment to offshore processing is unsustainably expensive.

The high cost of pursuing this poor policy is compounded by the fact that reductions in foreign aid will foot the bill.

Read more commentary on the Budget 2013 from Monash experts here.

Related links

• Border Crossing Observatory
• Professor Sharon Pickering

Budget deficit:

Professor Jakob Madsen, Xiaokai Yang Professor of Business and Economics, Department of Economics

Australia’s budget deficit has been heading in the wrong direction over the past ten years and from measures announced in last night’s budget, it is likely that the budget deficit will be larger than forecast over the next few years due to far too optimistic predictions. 

I would have liked to see more investment in future growth such as in research and development and university education, particularly science and engineering. Internationally, Australia’s schooling standards are very good, making the massive spending announced to implement the Gonski reforms unnecessary. The Government should also be making savings by eliminating the tax subsidies and tax breaks to carbon emissions. The government should also consider raising the GST. 

Legacy-building and workplace-relations initiatives:

Professor Greg Bamber, Department of Management

This is a legacy-building budget. Its three biggest contributions are in the fields of disability insurance, school education and investing in infrastructure. These are worthwhile initiatives, which are overdue.

But it is unfortunate that the government has cut its investment in tertiary education. This is not a smart move!

Turning to the workplace relations field, the budget allocates more than $5 million extra per annum to the Fair Work Commission to fund its new power to deal with vexed challenges of settling disputes about bullying.

The Commission will also get more than $6 million over four years to establish a pay equity unit. Initially, this will focus on the early childhood education and care sectors. It had already been announced that these sectors will receive more funding to increase pay for these important workers. It is appropriate that people who care for some of the most vulnerable members of society get a fairer deal at work.

Asylum Seekers:

Professor Greg Barton, School of Political and Social Inquiry

A Swan song it may be but the Treasurer hardly gave it his best shot. If Tuesday’s budget was intended to help salvage its reputation the Labor overnment did too little too late. 

One small but poignant detail speaks to the moral and fiscal plight it now finds itself in.In May 2012 it estimated the cost of managing asylum seekers at a little over $1 billion in the 2012-2013 financial year.  

Yesterday’s projection saw the 2013-2014 estimate almost triple to $2.9bn based on the very optimistic forecast of 13,200 arrivals (more than 20,000 have arrived so far this financial year, against a forecast of 5,400).  

Asylum seeker arrivals present a difficult challenge with no easy answers. Dropping mandatory detention would be a lot more humane and it would likely save us quite a lot of money. It won’t solve the problem and it won’t save the Government but if you can’t do anything else at least you can be decent. That would be a proper swan song.

Professor Sharon Pickering, The Border Crossing Observatory 

As in last year’s budget, the foreign aid increase has been postponed for another year, saving the Government $3 billion over the forward estimates. A total of $375 million of current foreign aid investment will go towards asylum seekers in Australia, a figure which will be capped. 

Australia’s asylum seeker policies cost the budget $1.3 billion. The lions share is spent on  offshore processing which has serious legal and ethical shortcomings and moreover generates further costs in relation to deleterious health impacts. Reintroduced following the Houston panel and the legally meaningless ‘no advantage’ test, current expensive policies have not resulted in decreasing risks to life at sea or irregular maritime arrivals. 

Against all available evidence as to efficacy or desirability, the commitment to offshore processing is unsustainably expensive. 

The high cost of pursuing this poor policy is compounded by the fact that reductions in foreign aid will foot the bill.

Professor Louise Newman, School of Psychology and Psychiatry 

In a budget badging itself on commitment to “Stronger, Smarter and Fairer”, there is little focus on fairness for asylum seekers and refugees or on regional issues. Whilst acknowledging the asylum seeker “management’ cost blow out of $1.3 billion due to increased arrivals, we do not see this discussed along with an analysis of the cost of maintaining offshore remote processing and indefinite detention – a much greater investment. This is a clear example of a government stuck with simplistic policies of deterrence, maintained even if they are ineffective, and without care for the cost. Announcing a review of the refugee determination process to bring Australia in line with other countries in terms of acceptance rate is presumably along similar lines.

Education: 

Associate Professor Lucas Walsh, Faculty of Education

It may be argued that our education is biased towards favouring higher education as a preferred pathway from school, and not without some justification. So for the Governemnt to further slash funding to an education sector that receives relatively low levels of funding compared to many other OECD countries reflects a short term response to a long-term challenge.The $97 million boost to Commonwealth funded places and $186 million boost to research infrastructure announced in the budget will only go a tiny way towards redressing this cut, but overall the budgetary measure sits in contrast to the Government’s long-term, 10-year aspiration.  

To restrict funding to higher education is therefore also counter intuitive and counter productive, as is the lack of resources dedicated to developing other pathways. As perplexing is the absence of a coherent response to building alternative pathways for young people for whom higher education is not a preferred option. The fact is that after two decades of unprecedented economic prosperity, there has been a failure to invest in enabling a wide range of pathways sufficient to meet the needs of a shifting economy and to provide for future social and personal wellbeing. This budget, though welcome in fostering desperately needed reform to Australian schooling, is delimited in providing the means for addressing the needs of those most vulnerable during economic uncertainty post-school. Media commentators have described this as akin to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”; however, a better description might be that in seeking to provide a better start in life, this budget risks robbing Paul of future opportunities after completing school. 

Dr David Zyngier, Faculty of Education

The 2013 Budget establishes the foundations for a more equitable funding of school education. But it only partially introduces the recommendations of the Gonski Review of School Funding.     

Education is the key for long-term improved economic performance especially as Australia is forced by global competition to move away from its traditional manufacturing industry base to a more sustainable and competitive hi-tech low energy environment underpinned by a highly educated and technologically savvy workforce.  

The Gonski Review recommended that $6.5 billion per annum was the minimum required to enable the most disadvantaged students of whom 80 per cent are enrolled in public schools to meet their academic potential. However, the budget has allocated only $14.3 billion over 5 years, less than 50 per cent of the Gonski minimum. At the same time, the treasurer has committed the country to the absurd proposition that all schools despite their resource base to receive the same or even more funds. This includes the most advantaged private schools receiving over $12 million each per annum from the public.  

This was a lost opportunity to finally cut the Gordian knot of public funding of elite private schools. Universities losing over $2 billion from their budgets in order to pay for the Gonski lite reforms does not make us a clever country. 

Defence: 

Dr Remy Davison, Jean Monnet Chair in Politics and Economics, Monash European and EU Centre 

The 2012 Federal Budget saw defence spending cut to its lowest level since 1938. The 2013-14 Budget sees some restoration of defence expenditures through 2016, with $5.4 billion of additional funding. 

But there’s a sting in the tail: over 1,000 defence public service personnel will be cut to help pay for future defence procurement. An additional $875 million has been allocated to ongoing operations in Afghanistan, despite the withdrawal of Australian forces later this year. 

The 2013 Defence White Paper, released in early May, has already identified its materiél requirements for the next decade. The White Paper aims to restore defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP “when fiscal circumstances allow.” The 2009 White Paper aimed at 3 per cent, so lowered expectations for defence spending are now the ‘new normal’. 

Meanwhile, the wish-list includes 12 Growler aircraft, 12 new submarines, three air warfare destroyers, six C17 Globemaster heavy transport planes, plus 100 F35 Joint Strike Fighters, which will ultimately replace an equivalent number of F-111s and FA-18 Hornets. 

The expenditure increases are backloaded; the 2013–14 Budget allocates less than $1 billion in new spending, while the largest increases are long-term: from 2017, the defence budget will average over $36 billion per annum. The medium-term plan is to spend $30 billion on defence in 2016–17. 

Given the unlikelihood of the ALP government remaining in office on 15 September, the budgetary projections ares virtually irrelevant in view of the spending priorities and fiscal targets of the next federal government. The 2013 White Paper’s spending plans are ambitious, but an Abbott government will certainly amend and re-order defence spending priorities, once the prospective Coalition government frames its own Defence White  Paper. 

Tax reform: 

Ken Devos, Department of Business Law and Taxation 

The Treasure’s 2013 Budget attempt to clawback the $18 Bill deficit due to revenue write downs, has again failed to deliver any real tax reforms. 

With the shortfall in the mining tax, we see another combination of ad hoc tax measures aimed at recovering the revenue that was so confidently forecasted. The abolition of the baby bonus, phasing out of the medical expenses tax offset and closing of corporate tax loopholes have been targeted while discounts for upfront HELP payments will also disappear. 

The much debated carbon price is projected to fall from $25.40 in 2014/15 to $12.10 in 2015/16 and as a result associated 2015/16 tax cuts will now be deferred. It is the policy decisions behind these proposed measures that need to be questioned. 

It is a shame that many of the recommendations for real tax reform which emerged out of the Henry Tax Review in 2010 were not adopted and as a result, the government is chasing its tail to recover the revenue. 

Dr Gennardi Kazakevitch, Department of Economics

Both major sides of the politics are not willing to admit, that the country is facing a major structural problem in its fiscal system, and any cosmetic adjustments will not help to resolve it. 

A number of tax reductions have been implemented during the Howard era and continued by the Rudd government at the time when resource prices peaked. Back then the whole country really benefited on the resource boom. 

Now, when the prices are considerably lower, committing major new expenditures, such as education and disability care reforms, would be only possible if a taxation reform is undertaken that increases the proportion of taxes in the GDP.  Necessary but politically impossible.

Health: 

Libby Callaway, Department of Occupational Therapy 

The Labor government’s 2013 budget detailed an investment of $14.3 billion over four years for Disability Care Australia, a national disability insurance scheme. Significant budgets cuts and savings were outlined to claw back revenue to fund this and other major reforms, given the $18 billion budget deficit. Labor detailed a plan to fund the Scheme beyond the next decade via a 0.5 per cent increase to the Medicare levy from July 2014, with revenue raised by this levy placed in a special fund only to be used for Disability Care.

However, a key element in the solution of supporting people with significant and permanent disability to live with choice, control and dignity was missing in this year’s budget – we need stimulus for and investment in affordable, accessible housing for this group of people.  Disability Care will go part way to addressing these people’s needs by funding the equipment and support they require. But, if these people do not have access to accessible and affordable housing, their opportunity to harness a lifestyle that they are satisfied with will continue to be restricted.  

The housing needs of people with significant and permanent disability must be considered if the Government is to deliver on their promise that no Australian is left behind because of the circumstances of their birth or the events of their life. 

General commentary:

Dr John Vaz, Department of Accounting and Finance 

There is a distinct lack of a theme in this budget, this is even more surprising due to  the absence of normal direction-setting election spending to strengthen Labour’s traditional voter base.  

My impression is that this budget tries to distract the public from its past fiscal (mis)management performance by looking to the future, notably on implementing major initiatives such as the NDIS, NBN and Gonski.  

It is also trying to be seen as economically responsible by forecasting a return to surplus in 2016, the problem is nobody believes this. The Government claims to have fully funded its initiatives by a mixture of savings and collecting more taxes from the quarters  that it hopes are not winnable anyway, namely big business and  upper middle class and yet it also targets health care rebates and university funding and other benefits taking away money from its traditional base.  

My summary of this budget is perhaps best captured by this quote: “If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there” - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

Related links

• Professor Greg Barton
• Professor Sharon Pickering
• Dr Rémy Davison

This project, about the micro politics of border control, is interested in making sense of border control and women’s irregular migration at the first point of contact (maritime, land and airport borders).

Interviews have been conducted with border agents and women migrants in Italy, Greece and Australia.

The interviews are concerned with how those charged with border policing make sense of their role, and in particular how increasing numbers of female irregular migrants impact their work.

Interviews with migrant women have been concerned with how women made decisions about crossing borders, and the role border enforcement played in both their decision making and experiences. 

BOb’s Professor Sharon Pickering is currently analysing a large Australian data set on irregular arrivals to chart changes against significant policy shifts to understand the impact this has on travel configuration – in short the extent to which different deterrence strategies change the ways women and families travel.

The project is due to finish at the end of 2014.

For more information, see the Border Policing: Gender, Human Rights & Security project page here

Related links

• The Border Crossings Observatory
• Professor Sharon Pickering

Chamber briefing for Members of the House of Commons. Photo: www.parliament.uk

Newly elected British MPs are better prepared to represent voters with the assistance of a training program recommended by a Monash University-led team of researchers. 

Lead researcher and former Speaker of the Victorian Parliament, Associate Professor Ken Coghill from Monash University’s Department of Management, said the team’s recommendations had resulted in the House of Commons applying adult-learning techniques when introducing new MPs to their roles. 

“Recent feedback from the House of Commons confirms that the recommendations had a huge impact on the British induction program,” Associate Professor Coghill said. 

“Simulated sittings helped the MPs to learn the unique features of debates, question time and other proceedings that they must understand to effectively represent voters. 

“It is very gratifying to see such a direct impact from research that has developed over more than 10 years.” 

The researchers studied programs for new MPs in both parliamentary and executive presidential systems around the world to understand what skills and abilities parliamentarians needed to develop. 

“We focused on the assessment of the levels of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) held by new or continuing parliamentarians and used that information to determine training and professional development needs,” Associate Professor Coghill said.

“By looking at the development of particular types of KSAs such as understanding budget documents, using information technology, and identifying and handling of ethical issues and processes, we have been able to recommend appropriate programs to assist MPs develop knowledge and skills for Parliament.”

While the research focused on formal programs for induction and further training, it also revealed that informal and incidental learning is important to the development of parliamentary skills. 

Planned further research will concentrate on how MPs can best be assisted to develop ethical competence – the ability to apply personal values to ethical dilemmas that threaten either their own reputation, that of the parliament, or both.

Monash University’s Associate Professor Peter Holland and Dr Ross Donohue from the Department of Management, and Professor Colleen Lewis from the Faculty of Arts, are also involved in the project.

The research was funded by the Australian Research Council in partnership with AusAID and the Inter-Parliamentary Union and included collaboration with researchers at the University of Sydney and Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. The research team is a world leader in research into professional development for members of parliament.

Related links

• Criminology
• Arts Faculty

The top 10 rankings were just two of a number of excellent results for Monash to come out of the QS University Subject Rankings 2013, released this morning. 

This year’s rankings saw a significant improvement in the University’s standing, with 13 disciplines ranked in the top 30 worldwide, up from nine last year.

Monash is ranked sixth in the world for Education; 
Pharmacy and Pharmacology – seventh in the world;
Law – 13th in the world;
Accounting and Finance – 18th in the world;
Linguistics – 19th in the world;
Communication and Media Studies – 21st in the world;
History – 23rd in the world;
Geography – 23rd in the world;
Chemical Engineering – 25th in the world;
Civil and Structural Engineering – 26th in the world;
Economics and Econometrics – 26th in the world;
Psychology – 27th in the world; and
Medicine – 29th in the world.

Monash ranked in the global top 100 in 28 of the 30 subjects that were rated.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne said he was delighted with the University’s strong performance across such a wide range of disciplines.

“This year’s results are an extraordinary achievement and are indicative of the overall quality of the University’s teaching and learning, and its research,” Professor Byrne said.

“They are further proof that our students are receiving a world-class education.”

The QS subject rankings are determined by a combination of academic peer-review, employer attitudes and research output and impact; the rankings are intended to help students decide the best university at which to study.

Monash is currently ranked 61st overall in the QS World Rankings. QS Top Universities has ranked international tertiary educators since 2004. 

More information on the QS University Subject Rankings is available at the QS Top Universities website.

In a first for the city of Prato, the city’s three university campuses representing three universities from around the world - Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), the University of Florence (Italy) and the University of New Haven (Connecticut, USA)  – will open their doors to the public on 10 May 2013. 

This milestone event is part of Prato Campus Week, aimed at inspiring creativity and intercultural connections amongst the growing student presence in Prato.  It also gives visibility to what could be seen as a new phenomenon or indeed profile for a city that has traditionally been characterised by its textile industry.

Activities include the 626 Prato Campus Run, national university radio festival (FRU) and associated band contests, volley ball competition, Speedy Conversation Exchange and many more. The Prato Centre will hold its signature Aussie-inspired barbecue in the picturesque courtyards of Palazzo Vaj before the sun sets and the attention turns to the final band contest and dj set on the steps of the University of Florence’s Prato campus. 

Related Links

• Arts in Prato

Diana Sher claiming first place at the Asian Zone Fencing Championship.

Monash University student Diana Sher recently became the first Australian fencer to win gold at an Asian Zone Fencing Championship at any level.

Diana, who is currently in the second year of her Bachelor of Arts (majoring in politics and communications), at Monash University’s Clayton campus, took the gold medal win at the Asian Junior Zone Fencing Championships competition in Bangkok.

“I was in Bangkok for 12 days with this competition. I competed in the Junior Women’s Epee Event and the Junior Women’s Epee Team Event,” Diana said.

“Last year I finished in third place, and as this is my final year competing in this age category, I am very happy with my improvement. It’s a great way to finish off in the Under 20 category.”

Diana has been fencing for over seven years now. Her father, who is the National Fencing Coach for Australia, encouraged her to start up the sport.

“Last year I competed for Monash at the Australian University Games in Adelaide and won, and later this year I will be representing Monash again at the Universiade in Kazan, Russia,” Diana said.

Over the summer break from classes, Diana was in Europe training and competing, managing to take out the Under 23 European Circuit Cup in Italy.

“Now that classes are back on, I have continued to travel quite extensively with my sport, so I am very grateful for support of the Monash Elite Athlete Program as dealing with university, sport and extensive travel is not easy,” Diana said.

“The sport scholarship grant, which I received last year, was also an amazing help as it assisted me with some of my travel costs for competitions.”

Related Links:

Monash Elite Athlete Programme

Congressman Jerrold Nadler and James Brooks.

A Monash University student recently returned from the United States where he took part in a prestigious internship program which gave him rare access to the US political system.

James Brooks, a fifth-year Arts/Law student at Monash University’s Clayton campus, was one of only 12 university students, and the first from Monash, selected from almost 100 applicants to take part in the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program (UCWIP).

The students were placed in a range of Democrat, Republican, House, Senate, personal and committee offices for their two-month internships in Capitol Hill, Washington.

“I worked in the Office of Representative Jerrold Nadler from New York,” James said.

“My role involved a lot of constituent contact and required me to work closely with staff and other interns in the office. There was a sense that, even as an intern, I was involved in important issues as they unfolded on ‘the Hill’.”

In addition to the daily work in their respective offices, the interns attended a host of briefings, meetings and other events aimed to broaden their understanding of American politics and international relations.

“Highlights for me included attending the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony, visiting the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York and meeting former Transportation and Commerce Secretary, Norman Mineta, who was in his role on September 11, 2001.”

James said one thing the program taught him was despite the similarities between Australia and the US, there are fundamental differences between the two countries with respect to political discourse, culture and institutions.

“We were in Washington D.C. while the Congress was debating gun control, the fiscal cliff and sequestration. The kind of debate we saw simply wouldn’t happen in Australia,” James said.

“Opportunities for foreigners to work in the US Congress are few and far between. I’m very grateful to have had such an enriching and unique experience.”

Monash University is one of a select number of Australian universities who participate in the UCWIP. James is currently completing a research task for his law studies, comparing campaign finance laws in the US and Australia.

Related Links:

• Bachelor of Arts and Law
• Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Programme 

Professor Scates’ novel explores the politics of remembering and forgetting war and was released by University of Western Australian Publishing las year.  

The book has been commended by the judging panel for its courageous fusion of literature and history. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Christina Stead Award, one of the leading literary prizes in Australia.  

Bruce Scates — On Dangerous Ground: a Gallipoli Story

On Dangerous Ground is a hybrid of history and fiction from one of Australia’s leading historians. Moving between the historical realm and the world of the imagination it recreates the most dramatic moments of the Gallipoli campaign in the Great War. It is about unresolved loss, the need to know, and a story of reconciliation that bridges countries and generations. Fusing literature, fiction and history, On Dangerous Ground journeys across a real and imagined landscape, empowering voices and lives too long locked in the archives.

Bruce Scates is a prize-winning teacher, historian and storyteller. He is based in the National Centre for Australian Studies at Monash University.

On Dangerous Ground: A Gallipoli Story is available now from UWA Publishing.

Related Links

• Bruce Scates
• National Centre for Australian Studies
• Anzac Remembered
• More Anzac related stories
• Anzac Study Tours

of the Monash University PhD Program in Literary and Cultural Studies

with RILS (Research in Literary Studies)

incorporating seminars of

the Centre for Australian and Postcolonial Writing

and the Centre for the Book

Semester 1

18 March: Centre for the Book, “What is Print Cultures Research?”: Anna Poletti, “Curating Confession: The Intersection of Communicative Capitalism and Autobiography Online”

15 April: Centre for the Book, “What is Print Cultures Research?”: Elisabeth (Lisa) El Refaie (Cardiff University), “Time as entrapment in David B’s graphic memoir Epileptic”

22 April: Millicent Vladiv-Glover“‘Multiplicity’ as Subversion of Binaries in Representation: A Comparison of Vertov’s and Tarkovsky’s Cinema Art”

29 April: Edward Ascroft, “The Double’s Doubles and Dostoevsky’s Shameful Subject”

20 May: Franz-Josef Deiters, “De-Worlding the Stage: On the Spatial Regime of Theatre of the Classical Episteme”

27 May: Robin Gerster, “Anzac, New Mexico: Placing Australia in the Nuclear Empire.”

Semester 2

29 July: Liberata Luciani, “Raiders of the Lost Meme: Rediscovering the Lost Meaning of Calabrian Oral Folk Traditions”

19 August: Centre for the Book, “What is Print Cultures Research?”: Tim Dolin, topic TBA

26 August: Centre for the Book, “What is Print Cultures Research?”: Simone Murray, “Restoring Books to Literary Studies”

16 September: Centre for Australian and Postcolonial Writing: Ali Alizadeh, “New(er) Australian Poetry: Beyond Lyricism, Experimentalism and Naturalism”

23 September: Centre for Australian and Postcolonial Writing: Rosalind McFarlane, “Transformations in the Deep: Depictions of Water in Contemporary Asian Australian Poetry”

21 October: Andrew Milner, “Time Travelling, or, How (Not) to Periodise a Genre”

28 October: Marko Pavlyshyn, “Why One Might Still Want to Histories of National Literatures”

Date to be advised (2^nd semester): Anna MacDonald, “’Everything that Matters is True’: The Question of Genre in W. G. Sebald’s Prose Narratives”

Related Links

Research in Literary Studies – RILS