Uni budget cuts an Asian Century 'joke' THE heads of Australia's most elite research-intensive universities say their standing in international rankings is set to fall as budget cuts take their toll. "We won't see a drop in rankings over the next couple of years, but we can expect to see our international standing compromised after that," said Peter Hoj, vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland, which has had $90 million cut from its budget over three years.