This Month
Business Council rejects legislating fee-free TAFE
The government is hoping to bake into legislation 100,000 free TAFE places a year, but the Business Council of Australia is arguing against the idea.
- Julie Hare
Push for alcohol ‘cancer risk’ labels after new US advice
Public health advocates say calls by the US Surgeon General for warning labels on alcoholic drinks will drive momentum for their introduction in Australia.
- Tom Rabe
- Opinion
- Medicare
Mediscare ‘he said, she said’ insults voters’ intelligence
A Labor-Coalition electoral clash over bulk billing is not only foolish, but masks the fact that so much more needs to be done to keep our healthcare system fit for purpose.
- Terry Barnes
December 2024
The CEOs are tripping. Can psychedelics help the C-suite?
A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that mind-altering drugs can improve business leadership.
- Emma Goldberg
- Opinion
- Letters to the Editor
End the tax on exercise to improve Australians’ health
Readers’ letters on removing the GST from exercise physiologists, the benefits of bitcoin, nuclear costings, and remembering the less fortunate at Christmas.
Our obsession with junk food is creating a type 2 diabetes crisis
Dr James Muecke was Australian of the year in 2020, but his message about the mounting dangers of highly processed foods was swamped by COVID. Now he wants subsidies to big junk food slashed.
- Terry Plane
Crescent Capital mulls exit for Green Leaves Early Learning
Street Talk understands the Sydney-based buyout firm is gearing up to add the Queensland-based childcare group to deal sheets.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
‘Cruiser schools’ and why parents might not be getting what they pay for
Australia has one of the most privatised school systems in the world, but national data suggests not all students are benefiting from their costly educations.
- Julie Hare
- Opinion
- Hospitals
Independent hospital pricing an opportunity for genuine health reform
The reality is private hospitals need fairer agreements with health funds. Providers, insurers, and government need to start a conversation.
- Martin Bowles
- Opinion
- Health insurance
Treating health funds like cash cows will be a disaster for our health system
If we want a sustainable private system, the next federal government must focus on reforms that put consumers before vested interests, to keep health insurance affordable.
- Rachel David
- Exclusive
- Vocational training
Why we got it wrong on education and skill shortages
After 15 years of policies encouraging people to go to university, Australia’s skills tsar says it is now time for a reset if we are to address chronic skill shortages.
- Julie Hare
November 2024
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Pivotal election for higher education calls for bigger discussion
Beyond the next election horizon that is driving the student caps issue, the challenges universities now face deserve a serious policy conversation.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- University
Neither side of politics shares Menzies’ vision for higher education
Instead of Labor and the Coalition blaming international students for housing shortages, they should reimagine our universities as engines of progress.
- Georgina Downer
‘Sounds like a comedy sketch, lunch with a person on Ozempic’
After a lifetime of being overweight, best-selling author Johann Hari lost 20 kilograms on Ozempic, but he says it’s much more than a weight-loss drug.
- Fiona Buffini
- Opinion
- Universities in crisis
Higher education own goal needs urgent correction
Faced with knee-jerk decision-making and a uni sector in limbo, why would an overseas student not look elsewhere for an education?
- Pascale Quester
- Opinion
- International students
Foreign students row is political kryptonite
The government accuses Peter Dutton of hypocrisy for rejecting its foreign student caps, but the Opposition Leader is not about to do Labor any favours this close to an election.
- Jennifer Hewett
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Cut foreign student numbers with a levy, not a cap
A levy is an economically sensible alternative policy that will create a revenue stream for governments and deliver more financial resources to universities.
- Rabee Tourky, Rohan Pitchford and Bruce Chapman
Demand for postgraduate courses on the rise
Students increasingly look for shorter and more industry-aligned qualifications, experts say.
- Sian Powell
Make university free, but beware the professional student
Readers’ letters on the downside of fee-free uni; supermarket competition; the US election result; lessons for a future female US president; approvals for renewables; and the impact of extreme weather.
- Analysis
- Diet
Is it healthy to eat just once a day?
Bruce Springsteen said he does, so experts were asked about the science behind the one-meal-a-day diet.
- Amanda Schupak
Montessori Academy childcare founders reclaim control
Street Talk wouldn’t be surprised to see bankers add Montessori Academy to their list of IPO prospects as 95 per cent of the business transfers to the founders.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport