February
We asked 4 experts to mark Labor on education. Here’s what they said
Anthony Albanese says education is one of his greatest accomplishments in his first term in government. We asked four experts if that adds up.
November 2024
Labor’s uni debt election bribe trashes fairness
The principle of ensuring fairness all-round will be trashed by handing out a 20 per cent debt cut regardless of income. It is middle-class welfare on steroids.
July 2024
The $50,000 arts degree arrives, as student debt climbs
The cost of a degree is at historical highs, with no relief in sight for at least another two years.
June 2024
Set an ATAR-style uni entrance score for foreign students: Rizvi
If international students had to get a minimum grade to win a place – as domestic applicants already have to – fewer would be able to rort the visa system.
May 2024
Failure to rein in uni bosses led to problems of ‘excess’
Peter Coaldrake has been deeply involved in the university sector for five decades, the past four years as head regulator. And he is troubled by what is going on.
February 2024
Unis that would pay the most – and the least – under ‘envy tax’ plan
Just six of the country’s 41 universities would bankroll half of the annual contributions to the higher education future fund proposed in the Albanese government’s universities accord.
The universities accord is like one giant déjà vu
The report has big ambitions. So did the 2008 Bradley review. They are not too dissimilar in scope and intent.
10 big ideas in the universities shake-up
From doubling the numbers of students to a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on rich institutions: Here are some of the biggest recommendations in the universities accord and what they mean.
Bright, poor students guaranteed a uni spot
Aspiring university students whose families earn less than $54,000 a year will be guaranteed a place in a degree if they meet admission benchmarks.
Universities accord report highlights funding shortage
If Australia is to have a world-class university system to sustain our standard of living in a highly competitive world, we are going to need to invest far more in it.
‘Wealth tax’ for top unis in $10b funding shake-up
A major review of higher education has recommended a return to demand-driven funding to get more poor students into university; a $10 billion infrastructure fund; an independent tertiary education commission; and bonuses paid based on graduation.
January 2024
School leavers shun uni, enrolments hit near-decade low
Gap years were back in 2022, but the 8.2 per cent drop in first-year university students also confirms a worrying trend that young people are shunning degrees.
August 2023
Poaching of overseas students rife, regulator warns
The higher education regulator is investigating several providers over “risks to compliance” and has warned all universities and colleges to abide by their registration conditions.
July 2023
Disappointing universities are a drag on flagging productivity
Despite its importance to a productive future workforce, universities have limited incentives to invest in teaching quality and student support.
June 2023
Talk is cheap for Australia’s best paid vice chancellor
Duncan Maskell thinks uni should be free. It’s a shame his institution has made it so expensive.
Working-class university boss lobbies for free degrees
Not charging fees for the first year of higher education would cost about $4.3 billion a year, but Duncan Maskell argues income tax revenue would jump.
Unis post $1.3b loss but VCs still rake in $1m pay packets
Australian universities have produced their worst financial results in history with a combined $1.3 billion loss. Still, 10 vice-chancellors earned $1 million-plus salaries in 2022.
March 2023
Why don’t companies pay employees’ student loans, asks David Lloyd
Let’s find ways to ensure everyone gets to go to university if they want to, and stay on to graduate, says a leading vice-chancellor.
February 2023
Why student loans don’t address elitism in universities
Australia needs a long-term plan that should include means-tested, free and better quality higher education.
January 2023
Five years on, is ANU’s boss winning the war against ATARs?
Vice chancellor Brian Schmidt wants the admissions process to reshape the geographical and socioeconomic mix of his university’s students. His battle is only half-won.