In the 2014-15 budget, the government announced a new Commonwealth Scholarship scheme. This will require higher education institutions to commit $1 in every $5 of additional revenue to the scheme “to support…
Would it be so bad if not all universities conducted research?
Flickr/PromoMadrid
With higher education changes meaning universities will soon be looking for ways to cut costs, many have been wondering if universities will give up on research to focus on where the money is – teaching…
Christopher Pyne and Joe Hockey say taxpayers are paying to send kids to uni who will go on to earn more than them. Is this the case?
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With notable exceptions, higher education leaders seem ready to accept the latest funding cuts. But the Group of Eight’s Michael Gallagher has gone further, strongly endorsing the reforms as “logical…
Post-budget, everyone’s speculating about likely higher education fee and debt scenarios.
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Various organisations have modelled the likely fees and debts students are likely to face in a deregulated environment since the release of the budget last month. The National Tertiary Education Union…
Proposed changes to higher education are in clear breach of an international rights covenant Australia has been party to since 1975.
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The government’s proposed changes to higher education have provoked fierce debate, with critics arguing the reforms will be detrimental to students, higher education institutions and the economy. What…
Is this the university experience students will be paying a premium for?
Flickr/Vin Crosbie
It’s a brave new world for higher education in Australia. We will soon have an open market and an overall reduction in government expenditure per student. This means universities will need to find alternate…
Australia seeks to emulate the US system of higher education, while the US seeks to move away from a system that isn’t working for all.
Flickr/McBeth
The US system of higher education, while lauded as a model to be emulated by the Australian government, is facing harsh criticism on home soil. With up to US$1 trillion in student debt owed to the government…
Are the government’s changes to higher education opening up the door to complete privatisation, and other radical measures?
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The changes to higher education in last month’s budget are controversial, to say the least, and to my mind not very well thought out. They’ve been justified as attempts to boost the rankings of Australian…
Universities used to get 90% of their funding from the federal government. Now some get as little as 20%.
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When the Whitlam government assumed responsibility from the states for all higher education funding in 1974, the Commonwealth provided 90% of universities’ income. By 2010 this had fallen to about 42…
Has Pyne signalled the death of evidence-based policy in favour of ideology?
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As federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne has been a revelation. Once seen as a leading moderate, it has been noted that he has emerged as one of the most hardline ideologues in the ministry. Certainly…
Despite Abbott saying this would be a period of funding policy stability, his budget has unleashed market forces in higher education. Has he thought through the consequences?
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It is clearer by the day that the budget reforms to higher education need work. Never mind that when in opposition, Prime Minister Tony Abbott signalled a “period of relative policy stability” for the…
Will students pay exorbitant fees for Australia’s most prestigious universities if there’s no future financial benefit?
Flickr/Justin Kim
The belief of Australia’s Group of Eight elite universities that fee deregulation will allow them to fund their chase for global prestige is based on a fundamental misreading of the economics of elite…
University fee increases in Australia and the UK haven’t deterred students from poorer backgrounds from attending university in the past.
AAP
In contemporary Australia, post-school education is necessary for most well-paid jobs. And so who gets access to education is important. University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis echoed many people’s…
Are new equity scholarships expected to increase access, or are they just a fig leaf to garner support for a harsh education budget?
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Alongside higher fees and real interest rates on student debts, this year’s federal budget announced 20% of universities’ additional revenue will go towards equity scholarships. But will this measure increase…
With true market competition, universities will have a new purpose to fulfil.
mirsasha/Flickr
The debate about opening Australian universities to competition has so far been dominated by discussions about fees. While this is of particular interest to students whose education will receive a smaller…
Are Christopher Pyne’s assertions that students contribute 40% of their tuition and make 75% more money than non-graduates correct?
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Education Minister Christopher Pyne said during parliament question time: We are asking students to make a contribution to their own tuition fees. We are asking them to contribute, for those who enrol…
New budget measures are going to adversely affect young women more so than young men.
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In a recent radio interview, federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne refused to contemplate a hypothetical situation that involved young women doing all the heavy lifting under his government’s plans…
There’s no point giving money to research if there’s no-one to do the research.
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Including $20 billion for medical research in the recent federal budget seemed like a win for research. At the same time, however, the government imposed fees on PhD and Masters research students. Paying…
Protesters this week at the Whitehouse Institute of Design where Tony Abbott’s daughter received a scholarship, which he said was based on merit.
AAP
Please answer all questions. 1. Who’s your daddy? _______ Thank you for your application. We will take a cursory glance at your folio and inform you of our decision. This is from a fake application form…
Carrying student debt well in to your adult life can be a heavy burden.
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Until now, student debt in Australia has been relatively modest, with low repayment rates, low indexation and high repayment thresholds. This won’t be the case if the government proceeds with changes mooted…