That means seeing public expenditure in universities as an investment for the whole community, not a cost to be borne by a few. Universities build knowledge by undertaking independent research in the public interest. This builds a scientifically literate workforce and community. But enrolments in key enabling science such as physics, chemistry and mathematics have been falling and departments are being cut. Universities disseminate knowledge through the creation of a skilled, internationally mobile workforce.
Universities deliver returns on public investment .
Recent research by economists at the University of Melbourne argues that the rate of return to the community as a whole from higher education outstrips the return to the individual.