Describes attempts to establish at least 20 private universities in Australia between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, of which only 4 remain viable. Discusses five categories of national higher-education environments. Suggests that most proposed private universities were undermined by their overtly commercial character and the strength and…

Education is now a global product with institutions worldwide competing for students and finding ever more creative ways to satisfy student needs and preferences. With the continuing rise in the preference for flexible distance learning, educational institutions are finding that when students and faculty have significantly different cultural…

Recent Australian policy allowing higher education institutions to market their services to overseas students at full cost and the resulting pressures to privatize public higher education further are discussed in the context of both general educational and economic principles and the specific conditions of Australian education. (MSE)

The provisions in Australia's 1993 Higher Education Budget Statement regarding equity, diversity, and educational quality are examined. The discussion draws on current models of governance of public and private systems to examine ways in which the federal government has imposed accountability mechanisms on institutions. (Author/MSE)