The Nelson reforms make it harder for people in the higher-education sector.

In fact, the only flexibility this package offers universities is to charge students more. In most other areas this package tightens government control.

Universities are one of the key bastions of independent and critical thought in our society. We must guard against the possibility that any government can dictate what can and cannot be taught. We only need to look at the recent attack on the independence of the ABC to see John Howard's intimidation in action.

The Education Minister appears determined to force university staff onto individual employment contracts, even though the universities themselves are less than enthusiastic about the idea. Senior university managers are wary that such an approach would achieve little except to divide staff and inflame industrial tensions.

Universities are already able to offer individual contracts to attract the best and brightest staff. What holds them back is not award conditions but a critical lack of funding, due to $5 billion of funding cuts by the Howard government. Australian universities simply don't have the money to match the pay and conditions of British or American universities.

After more than 12 months of review the Howard government has failed to come up with reform. Instead of new ideas it has once again returned to a users-pays approach that increasingly takes the responsibility for funding universities off the Commonwealth and dumps it onto students and their families.