Universities Australia has warned the government that ¡°enough is enough¡± and the sector should not be hit by further cuts in the upcoming budget.

The organisation published figures showing that universities and students have contributed A$3.9 billion (?2.3 billion) to government measures to address the budget deficit since 2011.

Belinda Robinson, Universities Australia chief executive, said of the federal budget scheduled for 9 May: ¡°Enough is enough. Universities and their students have already done more than their fair share of budget repair.

¡°In this context, it is difficult to justify further cuts that would affect student affordability and put at risk the quality of education and research on which Australia¡¯s prosperity depends.¡±

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Press reports had previously indicated that the government is set to drop the 20 per cent funding cut that has remained on the table since a proposal to deregulate tuition fees ¨C later abandoned ¨C was announced in 2014.

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A funding cut of 3 per cent was instead expected via an ¡°efficiency dividend¡±, along with higher fees for students.

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But Universities Australia¡¯s intervention suggests that there remains significant anxiety about the government¡¯s plans for the sector.

¡°Beyond the impact on Australian students and research, further cuts would put in jeopardy our success as a powerhouse provider of international education, which contributes A$22.4 billion a year to the Australian economy and is our third largest export,¡± Ms Robinson said.

Margaret Gardner, the Monash University vice-chancellor who will be UA¡¯s next chair, told Times Higher Education recently that further cuts would be a mistake.

She said the government ¡°needs to look at the nature of its investment in universities and be clear that it is actually delivering a significant benefit for the nation¡­We [education] are the third largest export industry.¡±

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john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com