With confirmation that the commercial television broadcasters are to provide studio-based coverage of this year's Federal election and abandon the National Tally Room, an institution of Australian election nights appears to be drawing to a close. The ABC is yet to announce a decision but the ABC's resident psephologist and election night analyst Antony Green made clear in 2010, the Tally Room, despite a sentimental attachment that many of us hold, is simply now an expensive backdrop for election nights. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has to spend in excess of $1 million setting it up and broadcasters bear their own costs (for the ABC $500,000 plus). In his opinion (which … [Read more...]
The Scan Main Edition 16 May 2013 # 116
16/05/2013 By
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________HECS debt up one third in a yearSnowballing debt could alienate students and challenge the bottom line of future budgets, with debts from just one year expected to exceed those accumulated over the first 20 years of the HECS scheme. Budget papers predict that students will owe the government $42.1 billion by the end of the forward estimates in 2016-17. Last year’s projection, for 2015-16, was $30.6bn. ....[READ MORE]..... Melbourne & ANU dominate subject rankingsThe University of Melbourne and Australian National University have dominated Australian institutions in the … [Read more...]
HECS up a third in a year
16/05/2013 By
The Australian | 16 May 2013 Snowballing debt could alienate students and challenge the bottom line of future budgets, with debts from just one year expected to exceed those accumulated over the first 20 years of the HECS scheme. Budget papers predict that students will owe the government $42.1 billion by the end of the forward estimates in 2016-17. Last year’s projection, for 2015-16, was $30.6bn. This means HECS debt will accrue by $11.5bn in 2016-17, more than the $11bn in outstanding loans accumulated between 1989, when HECS was introduced, and mid-2009. The projected debt bubble has more than tripled in five years. The current outstanding borrowings, … [Read more...]
The Scan Main Edition
16/05/2013 By
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ First green light for Ballarat-Churchill merger 10 May 2013 | The governing councils of the University of Ballarat and Monash University have decided to proceed with the proposal for the Monash Gippsland campus to join with the University of Ballarat to form an expanded, regionally focused university, which is proposed to be up and running.....[READ MORE].... Budget tricks 10 May 2013 | Victoria’s state budget has imposed what The Age describes as “secret spending cuts” of almost $1 billion … [Read more...]
The Budget
16/05/2013 By
Government statement on Budget measures 15 May 2013 | The Gillard Government will invest $1.9 billion in Australian universities over the next four years to meet a surge in demand for places, including around 1,650 extra places per year for sub-bachelor and postgraduate training in teaching, nursing and Asian languages, according to tertiary education minister Craig Emerson. The funding includes an extra $346 million in the Budget to account for an upward revision in demand for places since October last year. Other measures include: $84.6 million over four years for up to 1650 places a year for sub-bachelor and postgraduate training in teaching, nursing and Asian languages $186 … [Read more...]
International student visa loophole?
16/05/2013 By
The Australian | 8 May 2013 Some Indian students are using the university-only streamlined visa system to get to Australia, and are then jumping ship to cheaper private providers, according to two “well-regarded” education agents. They said the abuse appeared to be on a small scale now but was bound to increase as student arrivals gain momentum under the new visa system. One agent, based in the Indian state of Punjab, blamed the Australian visa system’s new bias against the vocational education and training courses desired by, and more suited to, many genuine students. “I doubt that even 50 per cent (of this year’s streamlined intake at universities) will … [Read more...]
Melbourne & ANU dominate subject rankings
16/05/2013 By
The University of Melbourne and Australian National University have dominated Australian institutions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject. QS puts Melbourne as the leading local institution in 15 out of the 30 subjects, while ANU led in 9 subjects. Meanwhile, The University of Melbourne’s executive education arm has been ranked number one in Australia by the UK’s Financial Times newspaper. Despite domestic concerns about the quality of teacher training, four universities have been rated in the world top 10 for education, with Melbourne University ranked third, followed by Monash (6), University of Sydney (8), and Queensland University (10). Other subjects with … [Read more...]
The role of TAFE in sustaining communities
15/05/2013 By
It's just a year since the Victorian government introduced budget measures withdrawing $300 million in funding from it's public TAFE network and putting the funding of the state's TAFE institutes on the same footing as private RTOs accessing public funding. It had immediate effect, leading to course being dropped, campuses closed and thousands of staff sacked, with a consequent loss of opportunity for many people, particularly in rural communities. In its submission to the House of Representatives, the LH Martin Institute observed that TAFE, as the public provider network, underpins the whole VET system and contributes to the public good in numerous tangible and intangible ways. It … [Read more...]
Why Australia hates thinkers
15/05/2013 By
UNSW News Room | 14 May 2013 UNSW academic Alecia Simmonds says that in “Straya, we don’t give a dead dingo’s donger about academics”. Universities therefore made a perfect target recent budget cuts for the because, like few other Western countries, Australia hates thinkers (who inhabit universities). Well, it’s heart felt opinion and entertaining reading but is it fair, we ask ourselves? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In one of Federal Parliament's many wonderful moments of Orwellian doublespeak, Labor announced recently that it would fund education through cutting … [Read more...]
Minor gains, major cuts : RUN
15/05/2013 By
RUN News | 14 May 2013 Regional Universities Network (RUN) noted that, while the 2013 Federal Budget offers some minor funding increases for universities, it also implements the major cuts to funding for universities and student support announced by the Government in April. RUN chair David Battersby said that the cuts remain a major setback for the sector and regional universities. While some new money for the sector is welcome, RUN remains deeply concerned about the impact of the previously announced cuts to regional universities, our students and our communities. It is critical to the nation’s future that all parts of the education system, from early childhood to … [Read more...]
