The West Review: New Right Ideology for Universities

Abstract

As a conservative John Gray deplores the impact of the New Right ideology adopted by the British Conservative Party on the ongoing culture of British society. While not sharing his belief that political action can only aspire to warding off evils, this paper explores the corrosive impact of New Right ideology on the ethos of the university sector in Australia. In essence, New Right ideology would have universities ape business manners, charging customers for its services and discarding university forms of employee self-management based on academic freedom and collegiate governance, so as to cut the cost of university expansion to a minimum and maximise its industry pay-offs. This paper argues that corporatized and market oriented universities will be unable to sustain access to all on the basis of ability, or sustain self-directed research and teaching, which are essential for a vibrant and creative university.