Learn, earn and charge the taxpayer in Universities Accord

Taxpayers are likely to pay student nurses and teachers to learn on the job while unis will be banned from cherrypicking the smartest students before they finish high school, under sweeping reforms.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare wants universities to stop making early offers to school students. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Tertius Pickard

Taxpayers are likely to pay student nurses and teachers to learn on the job while universities will be banned from cherrypicking the smartest students before they finish high school, under sweeping university reforms.

The final Universities Accord report will recommend that governments fund paid work placements for university students, who are currently expected to work for free during compulsory on-the-job training for weeks on end in schools and hospitals.

Employers will be expected to chip in to pay some of the wages of university students undertaking practicums and internships in other degrees, such as accounting and engineering.

The call came as federal, state and territory education ministers gave the green light yesterday for a new student ombudsman, with the power to order refunds of ­tuition fees over student complaints about assaults and rapes on campus, sexual harassment, and substandard degrees.

In a blow to universities reeling from falling enrolments, ministers issued a two-year ban on early ­offers to school students, to stop them dropping out of high school.

School principals have blown the whistle on universities cherrypicking the smartest teenagers with university offers based on their Year 11 results, causing attendance levels to drop as students disengage from school.

Universities will still be allowed to make early offers in September – a month before students sit their final exams in most states and territories.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said some universities had been making offers as early as March – eight months before students finished high school. “We need to ensure that early offers aren’t leading to students disengaging from school too early and that there’s more consistency across the board,’’ he said.

The Australian revealed on Wednesday that the Universities Accord ­review is ­expected to back a “wealth tax’’ – a financial levy on institutions based on their broader levels of revenue, a move designed to penalise universities with large numbers of international students without explicitly saying so.

The levy would help fund Mr Clare’s plan to boost the numbers of less-privileged students in higher education.

The final Universities Accord report, which Mr Clare will launch on Sunday, warns that mandatory work placements and clinical training requirements in university degrees often force students to give up their part-time paid work, creating “considerable financial hardship’’.

It will call on governments to fully fund placements for nursing, childcare, social work and teaching students, while it urges employers to contribute to the cost of university placements for other degrees.

Opposition education spokeswoman Senator Sarah Henderson wants the new Student Ombudsman to ‘throw the book’ at universities doing the wrong thing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Clare said mandatory unpaid work placements resulted in “placement poverty’’.

“What it recommends is paid prac – financial support for nursing students, for social work students, for early education students and teaching students,’’ he said.

Universities are also being slapped with new requirements to prevent gender-based violence, putting “the voices and needs of victims-survivors at the centre’’ of complaints.

Mr Clare said a recent survey showed that one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university, and one in six had been sexually harassed.

“Not enough has been done to tackle sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven’t been heard,’’ Mr Clare said. “We need to ensure they are safe.’’

He announced he would legislate for a new national student ombudsman, with powers to investigate complaints and ­resolve disputes with universities.

A national code of conduct for universities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence would also be legislated this year.

Universities have flagged concerns about the “procedural ­fairness’’ of having to deal with sexual-assault complaints.

The crackdown on sexual assaults will apply to independent student housing providers, as well as universities’ own residential colleges.

Student clubs and societies must also “promote gender equality, respect, diversity and inclusion’’.

The action plan makes no mention of alcohol or initiation rituals – known as hazing – often associated with student violence and sexual assaults.

The government’s legislation is set to sail through federal parliament, after opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson declared she had long advocated for an ombudsman “to hold universities to account when they fail to put students first’’.

“The new ombudsman must have adequate powers to throw the book at universities when required,’’ Senator Henderson said.

A National Student Ombudsman will deal with complaints about sexual assaults at universities. Picture: iStock

Universities Australia welcomed the announcement of a student ombudsman. “Our universities are committed to delivering the best experience possible for students,” said UA chief executive Luke Sheehy said.

“The national student ombudsman forms part of a broader action plan to address gender-based violence at universities. Our universities are committed to addressing this serious issue on campus.’’

In previous correspondence to the federal Education Department, Universities Australia insisted that universities had a legal obligation to support both the alleged victim and perpetrator while investigating allegations, in line with “natural justice and procedural fairness’’.

Universities Australia warned that a national code of conduct must recognise that universities had “responsibilities to those making allegations, victim-survivors, and alleged perpetrators’’.

“The voices and needs of victim/survivors should be prioritised, but not at the cost of ensuring principles of natural justice and procedural fairness are applied to all cases,” it said. “Any attempt to do so would not survive challenge in the courts.’’

The National Tertiary Education Union said university managements had “refused to address sexual harassment and violence, which have reached crisis levels on campuses across the nation’’.

NTEU national president Alison Barnes welcomed the release of the national action plan.

“University leaders have downplayed, ignored or even denied there was a problem in their institutions,’’ Dr Barnes said.

“We are now seeing governments taking concrete actions to stamp out sexual violence towards staff and students because of an abject failure by university bosses to do something.’’

Apart from complaints about sexual assaults, the student ombudsman will have the power to recommend refunds of tuition fees for poor quality courses.

The ombudsman will not be able to overturn academic marks or decisions, but could consider the quality of teaching or the content of courses.

“The student ombudsman would not be responsible for investigating complaints relating to the merit of academic decisions, complaints by employees of higher education providers or administrative actions regarding employment,’’ it states.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. In an emergency, call 000.