University of New England vice-chancellor Annabelle Duncan has condemned Coalition cuts to universities

The institution joins eight others in denouncing the decision of the Coalition government to cut the Commonwealth Grant Scheme by five per cent.

Vice-chancellor Annabelle Duncan said the $2.8 billion reduction in funding would hit universities that do the heaviest lifting in terms of social equity the hardest.

“These are the universities like UNE, that admit the greatest proportion of regional students, students who are the first in their family to go to university, Indigenous students and disadvantaged students,” she said.

The cuts put a further 7.5 per cent funding at risk, a significant loss for universities that receive most of their revenue from government schemes.

“The government has pointed to university surpluses to suggest that universities have more money than they need,” Ms Duncan said.

“Such surpluses are not stockpiled in bank accounts.

“They are necessary to fund investment in new laboratories, upgraded lecture theatres and essential campus facilities, such as technology.”

Australian universities are expected to be hit with a new efficiency dividend between two and three per cent.

The changes will be phased in over a number of years.

Students are also concerned, the budget changes will mean a rise in course fees.

The HECS repayment threshold will also be lowered from the current minimum of $52,000.

Ms Duncan said the cuts would disproportionately affect universities that are the least profitable.

“At a university, the sorts of operations that are often least profitable include small or regional campuses, foreign languages, student support and research,” she said.

“With that in mind, these funding cuts raise the question of the government’s vision for the future of the sector.”

Ms Duncan has called on the government to scale back “inequitable” funding cuts and support the role that higher education plays in providing opportunities.