Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Producing Jones's Knowledge Nation will be a costly affair

By Andrew Norton - posted Sunday, 15 July 2001


The Knowledge Nation Taskforce's comprehensive agenda for upskilling Australia was widely welcomed yesterday. But the ultimate fate of the task force's report depends on a short passage near the end of Kim Beazley's speech at its launch.

"Reforms will be implemented as and when budgetary circumstances allow," the Opposition Leader said. "We will not be undermining fiscal responsibility in the delivery of these essential reforms."

We've had many reports before on why we should spend more on education and "knowledge" activities.

Advertisement

The task force's report is more wide-ranging than others, but that only makes the financial problem larger.

There are no costings provided, but they would be enormous. Doubling R&D as a proportion of GDP, one of the ideas to which Beazley committed himself, is alone a multibillion-dollar proposition.

And this is before we even start on improving school retention rates, increasing access to high-bandwidth services, or making Australia a world leader in biotechnology - all of which find favour with the Opposition Leader.

Financing, though, is the key issue and, unless we get some progress on that, the task force's volume will be shelved along with all its predecessors.

People associated with the ALP have given the issue thought. Professor Simon Marginson, who collaborated on an earlier ALP-aligned report into knowledge expenditure, points out that Australia has a lower tax burden than other OECD countries, and particularly its European members. He believes there is room for tax increases. But Kim Beazley's political opponents are struggling in the polls at least partly because of perceptions that the GST increased tax.

Should he win office, he is not likely to want to replace them in the electoral doldrums by increasing tax.

Advertisement

Earlier this year, Labor's former spokesman on education, Mark Latham, released his latest book, What did you learn today?

His solution to the financing problems is to "defund the old economy" by abolishing industry assistance and reducing what he calls "passive welfare".

With the money saved from these areas we could substantially increase investment in education and research.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All

This article was first published in The Australian Financial Review on July 3, 2001.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Andrew Norton is a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies and Director of the CIS' Liberalising Learning research programme.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Andrew Norton
Related Links
Centre for Independent Studies
Photo of Andrew Norton
Article Tools
Comment Comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy