[LINK] Universities Australia

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

A productive country: The contribution of Australian universities to 
national productivity

Universities Australia, 
7th September 2011

http://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/resources/633/1140

Executive Summary

Increasing university funding can substantially increase national 
productivity.

Australian universities are in a key position to increase Australian long-
term productivity and workforce participation.  Universities contribute 
strongly to economic activity in the short-term, medium-term and long-
term.

Workforce participation is improving, and higher education can help this 
further.  Australia's productivity, however, is stagnant. With their 
focus on human capital development and knowledge creation, universities 
have the greatest potential in Australia to provide significant and 
sustained stimulus to national productivity growth.

Universities also have one of the highest multiplier impacts for new 
spending and have long queues of rigorously attested projects awaiting 
support.  Their endeavours are across all states and territories, 
avoiding "patchwork economy" concerns.

The full and sustained implementation of the Bradley Review's vision 
would add some 5.6% to national productivity levels by 2040 and 6.4% to 
Australia's GDP.  This payoff is significantly higher than other 
productivity enhancing intitiatives, such as the 2% GDP payoff from the 
$36 billion National Broadband Network, and the 0.07% GDP payoff from the 
Henry Tax Reform proposals ... (snip)

Cheers,
Stephen