Australia's private schools and public universities face a period of unprecedented uncertainty as the nation prepares for next month's federal election.
Prime Minister John Howard's decision this week to call the election for October 9 means vice-chancellors have to curtail many of their preparations for the 2005 academic year.
The Opposition Labor Party is leading in the polls and, if elected, has promised to reverse several of the government's key higher education reforms as well as reallocate funding from rich to poorer private schools.
A Labor government would ban universities from introducing top-up fees for the first time and expanding the number of full-fee places for Australian students.
It would also scrap a new loans system for students paying full-fees.
A majority of the nation's 38 public universities had decided to raise the government-set charges by up to 25 per cent next year and most were also planning to offer more full-fee places.