This Month
Who will be Julie Bishop’s successor as ANU chancellor?
Discussions are underway about potential candidates to succeed Australian National University chancellor Julie Bishop.
My daughter-in-law is afraid to send her baby to childcare. She’s not alone
The anguish of the Victorian case has hit families around the country, striking deeply at their confidence in the whole system.
Allan launches urgent review after childcare sex assault charges
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says she has ordered a “short sharp review” to strengthen child safety.
June
Minister urges MPs to write to regulator over ANU concerns
Education Minister Jason Clare has written to Canberra MPs about “concerning issues” of governance at the university.
Education minister refers ANU concerns to regulator
Jason Clare has intervened around issues with governance and leadership at ANU, writing to the vice chancellor and referring concerns to the regulator.
Just two Australian universities make the world top 20
A quarter of Australian universities are in the top 100 globally, but many have slipped in their rankings due to global and local forces.
Fixing the ‘crisis’ of Australian universities
Higher education, in the words of one expert, is in “serious trouble”. Can Jason Clare, regarded as the nicest minister in Canberra, fix the system?
Australia’s top university on global ranking revealed
The University of NSW has leapfrogged Melbourne and Sydney to take top Australian university on a global ranking.
May
Vice chancellors awarded six-figure pay rises despite salary pressure
The increases pushed the highest-paid university boss for 2024, Duncan Maskell from Melbourne University, past the $1.5 million mark.
Unis should focus on the education of Australians, says Jason Clare
The minister says Labor’s policies on cutting student debt helped return the party to office. He wants to use its second term to deal with “unfinished business”.
Unis to increase fees as international student numbers fall: S&P
Top-tier universities will be hit hardest by falling enrolments but can most easily increase fees for courses seen as “luxury goods”, the ratings agency says
Tech champion but with a dark side: Axed Husic speaks
Dumped Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic has said he will continue to advocate for Australia’s technology sector from the back benches, ahead of other cabinet changes.
April
The Trump slump and Dutton’s ‘ham-fisted’ backflip
This week, Phillip Coorey, Lidija Ivanovski and Paul Karp on how Trump’s tariff plan has upended the campaign and why betting markets are finally catching up.
Dutton pledges to lift game, Taylor to fast-track investment
The opposition leader has promised colleagues his campaign will improve after a slow start marked by a series of missteps and slippage in the polls.
March
Tony Burke labelled ‘racist’ in Western Sydney smear campaign
Burke’s record as immigration minister has led to him being targeted by unidentified pro-Gaza activists as the battle for Watson descends into dirty tricks.
Friendly fire hits Australian universities
Local universities are caught up in Donald Trump’s culture wars. But the threat is partly home-grown and self-inflicted.
After months of resistance, Qld signs on to $2.8b schools package
Australia’s schools will benefit from a $30 billion boost to funding over the next decade after Queensland was the final state to sign up to a national plan.
Unis can walk away from Trump’s demands on research: Varghese
Australia’s former chief diplomat says Donald Trump has the right to impose conditions on research funding, but equally universities must decide what is acceptable.
Unis urge EU pivot after Trump edict
Pressure is building on the federal government to respond to a Trump administration questionnaire that has been sent to Australian researchers.
Universities accuse Trump administration of foreign influence
Australian researchers who receive US federal government funding have been asked to confirm they comply with the president’s anti-DEI, America-first agenda.