[ANU Pacific.Institute] PI statement on Future Resourcing of PacLII

[Colin Filer]

If our new VC follows through on his plan to make all schools and colleges justify their current allocation of the 'block grant' in terms of it being spent on functions and activities that ought to be undertaken by Australia's national university but cannot be funded in other ways (including ARC grants), then, when it comes to CAP, he might just find that all those functions and activities have already been axed as cost-saving measures, so he would be justified in taking CAP's share of the block grant away and spending it somewhere else.  C.

From: Pacific.Institute [mailto:pacific.institute-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Vicki Luker
Sent: Friday, 27 May 2016 2:35 PM
To: Maree Tait; Nicole Haley
Cc: Michael Wesley; Julien Barbara; Michael Cookson; pacific.institute at anu.edu.au; Meg Keen
Subject: Re: [ANU Pacific.Institute] PI statement on Future Resourcing of PacLII


Dear All,

To follow from this discussion, how are cuts to CHL viewed from the outside - including from universities sometimes regarded as ANU's rivals in Pacific Studies?

Here is a post from Alex Golub at University of Hawaii.

http://savageminds.org/2016/05/26/canberras-loss-is-manoas-gain-as-the-anu-walks-away-from-decades-of-excellence/

Re the losses to Pacific expertise resulting from the cuts, Alex comments:

'It is, therefore, amazing to me that the university's administration could so damage the university's standing by scoring an own goal when it's job is supposed to be strengthening Australia's international reputation, not weakening it.'

Alex Golub is, of course, not alone.

Best,



Vicki


From: Pacific.Institute [mailto:pacific.institute-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Maree Tait
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 12:57 PM
To: Nicole Haley <nicole.haley at anu.edu.au<mailto:nicole.haley at anu.edu.au>>
Cc: Julien Barbara <julien.barbara at anu.edu.au<mailto:julien.barbara at anu.edu.au>>; Michael Wesley <michael.wesley at anu.edu.au<mailto:michael.wesley at anu.edu.au>>; pacific.institute at anu.edu.au<mailto:pacific.institute at anu.edu.au>; Michael Cookson <michael.cookson at anu.edu.au<mailto:michael.cookson at anu.edu.au>>; Meg Keen <meg.keen at anu.edu.au<mailto:meg.keen at anu.edu.au>>
Subject: Re: [ANU Pacific.Institute] PI statement on Future Resourcing of PacLII

Nicole

I could not agree more. Whilst external funding has supported most of the work on the Pacific at ANU, very little has been done to maintain this work by the institution.  Yet Pacific  scholarship has added immensely to the intellectual stock at ANU.

It would heartening to see some response from the ANU administration to carry Pacific scholarship forward. Surely the Pacific is an area of immense interest to Australia.

Maree



Sent from my iPhone

On 27 May 2016, at 10:29 AM, Nicole Haley <nicole.haley at anu.edu.au<mailto:nicole.haley at anu.edu.au>> wrote:
Dear Miranda (and fellow Pacific Institute Members)

As you are aware the previous round of aid cuts saw a reduction in DFAT's funding to SSGM for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.
Regrettably these cuts resulted in job losses affecting eight SSGM and Pacific Institute colleagues.

The recently announced round of aid cuts directly affect the Pacific Regional budget - from which PacLII, SSGM, the Pacific Leadership Program and a number of other incredibly important programs are funded. All these programs are at risk, although we have been informed that no decisions have been taken yet.

In view of the recent and impending retirements of several Pacific Institute members, the fact SSGM lost 8 Pacific Scholars as a result of May 2015 aid cuts, and at least 4 Pacific scholars in CHL have now been advised that they will not be transitioning to the new school I hope that the Pacific Institute will make an equally strong statement about continued funding for SSGM.

The ANU has systematically disinvested in Pacific scholarship over the past two decades by not replacing departing Pacific scholars with Pacific scholars. Instead they have sought to principally rely on external funding to support Pacific scholarship and teaching. With the impending loss of four more Pacific scholars and the possibility of further cuts to SSGM we should all be worried about the future of Pacific Studies at ANU.

Regards
Nicole






From: Pacific.Institute [mailto:pacific.institute-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Miranda Forsyth
Sent: Friday, 27 May 2016 10:41 AM
To: pacific.institute at anu.edu.au<mailto:pacific.institute at anu.edu.au>
Subject: [ANU Pacific.Institute] PI statement on Future Resourcing of PacLII

Dear Pacific Institute members

There is news this week of a serious threat to the continued funding of PacLII, an online legal resource based at Emalus Campus in Vanuatu.  See: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-25/pacific-corruption-fighters-worried-as-online/7445926.

The PI Board has approved a statement that we have put online that expresses support for the continuation of funding and stresses the importance of the resource (see news item one on the website: http://pacificinstitute.anu.edu.au/).  Please use these ideas with anyone of influence to try to ensure a stable future for PacLII.

Kind regards

Miranda

Miranda Forsyth | Associate Professor | RegNet School of Regulation and Global Governance | ANU College of Asia & the Pacific | The Australian National University | Room 3.2, Coombs Extension Building | Building 8, Fellows Rd, Acton, ACT, 2601 Australia | T: +61 2 6125 1505 | M: 0429903094 |  miranda.forsyth at anu.edu.au<mailto:miranda.forsyth at anu.edu.au> | regnet.anu.edu.au<http://regnet.anu.edu.au/>

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