Swisse hits back over supplements research

05/03/2014 by
Swisse

Various     |     5 March 2014 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Vitamin company Swisse has retaliated at critics of its deal with La Trobe University, in which the university signed a $15 million six-year deal with the company to research its products. The university says the memorandum of understanding with the company is an important step towards establishing a complementary medicine centre. But Dr Ken Harvey, a public health expert, consumer advocate and an adjunct professor in the university's school of public health, quit saying the deal is "fraught with conflicts of interest'' and damaging to La Trobe's reputation. Radek Sali, Swisse CEO, targeted Harvey, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: La Trobe University, Research, The Scan Tagged With: , ,

Sell-off of HECS debt not to be squandered

05/03/2014 by

Australian Technology Network   |    26 February 2014 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Securitisation is likely to become Australia’s education-financial buzz word of 2014 - namely the debt securitisation of our national HECS debt: the student loan portfolio, writes Vicki Thomson of the Australian Technology Network. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… In Britain, the Cameron government has moved down this route, starting with the sell-off of the older student debt portfolio worth £900 million ($1.7 billion) for a mere £160m late last year. There are numerous unmistakable signals a significant proportion of the newer debt is likely to follow, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ATN, Budget, Commonwealth policies, Government, The Scan Tagged With: , , ,

Like the parrot, TAFE is alive and well

05/03/2014 by
Peter hall3

Sydney Morning Herald   |   28 February 2014 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Victorian TAFE is travelling a little bit better than the legendary Norwegian blue parrot but Peter Hall, as the Victorian minister for skills, has certainly lived through the interesting times of VET reform.  It's a process which has seen  the Victorian TAFE network - the VET public provider network - severely reduced, at least by some accounts.  Hall has announced his impending retirement from politics.  When asked whether this reflected some degree of disillusionment, Hall's office gave us an emphatic "no!".  In this opinion piece - which, rather strangely,  first appeared in the Sydney Morning … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Scan

Anger over “secret” student visa review

05/03/2014 by

Australian Financial Review   |    5 March 2014 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The federal government has angered the $15 billion-a-year international education industry by secretly carrying out a review that endorsed current student visa rules while ignoring education providers who wanted to see some measures relaxed. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Immigration and border Protection assistant minister Michaelia Cash has signed off on the review, which endorsed the requirement that international students be assessed as "genuine temporary entrants" before being awarded a visa. However,  the eight bodies that represent the international education … [Read more...]

Filed Under: International, International students, TAFE, TAFE Directors Australia, The Scan, VET Tagged With: , , ,

Dual sector unis ‘happy to ditch TAFE label’

05/03/2014 by

The Australian | 5 March 2014 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… It appears Victoria’s four dual-sector universities have quietly dumped their TAFE status and the burden of state government reporting that went with it. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… New legislation will see state government-owned TAFE assets and infrastructure transferred to the dual-sector universities. It also frees them to negotiate wage deals with TAFE teachers without the state government having to approve the agreements. Andrew Smith, Federation University’s deputy vice-chancellor (academic), said there are no funding implications, noting changes to state funding arrangements meant … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Federation University, RMIT, TAFE, Victoria University Tagged With: , , ,