AGY-3070 | New South Wales Universities Board

Full description

On 2 January, 1970 the Universities Board (a non-statutory Board) was replaced by the New South Wales Universities Board, a statutory body established under part four of the Higher Education Act 1969.(1) The new Board consisted of between seven and nine fulltime and part time members who were chosen after consultation with persons or bodies considered appropriate by the Minister. Full time members served a term of seven years, and part time members were appointed for five years. (3) The first Board was announced in the NSW Government Gazette of 2 January, 1970 . (4) Board members were chosen from business, higher education and the public sector. A major function of the Board was to prepare reports and make recommendations to the Minister concerning
(a) maintenance, development, improvement, and coordination of university facilities; and
(b) granting of financial assistance to universities.
Other functions of the Board included to:
confer with universities;
confer and collaborate with the Advanced Education Board and the Australian Universities Commission or any other body constituted by the Government of the State or of the Commonwealth, or of the Parliament or any other act;
co-ordinate all requests and submissions relating to financial assistance from the Government of the State or of the Commonwealth Government made to the Minister by universities and if requested by the Minister, to review any such request or submission. (5)
During 1971 the Board formed established three committees:
Buildings and Equipment Committee;
Medical and Dental Education Committee; and
Establishments and Finance Committee. (6) br> The major subjects considered at the Board’s meetings included finance, development of education process and connections between universities in the State. (7) During this period the universities faced financial difficulties due to increasing costs. This situation eased towards the end 1971 when the Commonwealth Government indicated that it would provide supplementary assistance for recurrent purposes. (8) The election of a new government in Canberra in December 1972 brought speculation about abolition of tertiary fees The Commonwealth government subsidised by $1 every $1.85 raised by the State by grants and tuition fees. (9) At the June 1973, Premier’s Conference, the Commonwealth and States agreed to proposals for the Commonwealth to assume responsibility for the full funding of tertiary education from beginning 1974. As a consequence of this change in funding arrangements , the Board recognized that its role could change and was prepared for creation a single State body along the lines of the Higher Education Authority. (10) The State’s universities in 1975 achieved the enrolment levels upon which funding was based. Demand continued to exceed available places in most faculties at the Sydney metropolitan universities. Although most qualified students obtained a place at either a university or a college of advanced education, this was not necessarily in the academic area of first choice. (11) The New South Wales Universities Body ceased to exist at the end 1975 and merged with the Advanced Education Board and Higher Education Authority, to become the New South Wales Higher Education Board which was established under the Higher Education Act 1975 and commenced on 1 January 1976. (12) End notes:
(1) NSW Government Gazette 2 January 1970 p.1
(2) NSW Higher Education Act, 1969 s. 9(6)
(3) Ibid. s. 9(5)
(4) NSW Government Gazette 2 January 1970 p.1
(5) NSW Higher Education Act, 1969 s. 10
(6) Report of the Minister for Education for 1971, A.R. v.2 1972/73, p.1294
(7) Ibid. p.1287
(8) Ibid.
(9) Report of the Minister for Education for 1972, A.R. v.2 1972/73, p.1302
(10) Report of the Minister for Education for 1971, A.R. v.2 1973/74, p.675
(11) Report of the Minister for Education for 1975, A.R. v.2 1976/77/78, p.1195
(12) Ibid. p.1197