News updates between main editions of The Scan
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Uni funding slashed
Universities and tertiary students will suffer $2.3 billion of cuts to help fund the Gonski school reforms.
13 April 2013 | In a surprise announcement on Saturday 13 April, Tertiary Education Minister Craig Emerson said the government has found three areas of “substantial savings” within the higher education portfolio . He said universities would be asked to make $900 million in “efficiency dividends” over three years, while the 10 per cent discount given to students who pay their university fees upfront would be scrapped, saving $230 million. A further $1.2 billion will be saved by requiring students to pay back start-up scholarships once they enter the workforce and an earnings threshold is reached....[READ MORE]….
Government statement on higher education
13 April 2013 | The Government has announced savings in the higher education portfolio that will contribute to the funding of school education reforms designed to ensure that all Australian school children get a flying start in life. Taking account of the $2.3 billion in savings, Commonwealth funding for higher education will continue to rise sharply (see Chart 1). Further, the number of higher education places will continue its steep increase (see Chart 2).....[READ MORE]….
Matt Golding – The Age
Sector stunned and dismayed
“Emerson’s logic is a bottler – let’s take funding from universities to provide for schools so that school students, in the regions or outer suburbs for instance, then have a better chance to get to university. Likewise, given the base funding review which suggested the need for more funding, the government now responds by taking away funding.”
Biggest budget hit since 1996 – Universities Australia
Universities have been hit with the biggest reductions in funding to the university system and student support since 1996 with an additional $2.3 billion to be stripped from the university system over the next four years, including almost $1 billion from university revenue with the remainder of the burden falling on students.
According to the Chair of Universities Australia, Glyn Davis:
The cuts come on top of the $1 billion stripped out of the system less than 6 months ago through the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook process. We acknowledge the Government is confronting difficult economic circumstances but we are concerned at the long-term impact these cuts will have on university research and education..
[This] announcement will be condemned by those who understand that Australia’s university sector is crucial to national productivity growth, industrial diversification and long-term economic transformation.
For students, the loss of a range of income support measures will be compounded by the inevitable withdrawal of existing academic and professional support services provided by universities....[READ MORE]….
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Transcript of Glyn Davis interview on the impact of the budget cuts
I don’t want to overstate the implications of this, this does come at the end of a very substantial period of growth in income, but it does mean, combined with the cuts to – substantial cuts to research at the end of last year – October last year, announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan, that cumulatively the effect on universities is significant, and every university will have to make savings in order to stay, sort of, viable and productive. And that’s a question of values, is that the sort of country we want to be? Is that the national priority?....[READ MORE]….
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Crash landing rather than flying start – ATN
Multi-billion dollar funding cuts announced today by the Federal Government will have a serious long-term impact on Australia’s educational system and future productivity. Federal Tertiary Education Minister, Dr Craig Emerson has announced the $2.3 billion cuts from universities will contribute to the funding of school education to “ensure that all Australian school children get a flying start in life.” ATN Executive Director Vicki Thomson, said the cuts begged the question – a flying start to where?.....[READ MORE]….
Funding cuts will hurt Australia’s regional universities and students
The Regional Universities Network (RUN) is shocked by the extent of the funding cuts to Australian universities and changes to university student support announced by Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research Craig Emerson [on 13 April].
RUN Chair Professor David Battersby said that the cuts were a significant setback for regional universities and their students.
The reduction of $900 million to university funding over 2014 and 2015 will significantly erode the ability of regional universities to take full advantage of the student demand-driven system, grow our student numbers, and contribute to lifting higher education participation and attainment in regional Australia. The funding for each student will be reduced at a time when the university system is already under funding pressure. Regional universities, in particular, will feel the impact because the economies of scale under which we operate tend to be much more susceptible to reductions in government funding.....[READ MORE]….
Schools funding reform should not come at the cost of uni funding
NTEU national president Jennie Rea says NTEU applauds increased government investment in education and welcomes the school education 
reforms. However, these should not come at the cost of public investment in universities and support for higher education students. Universities are already struggling to provide teaching and support to the new generations of students. The NTEU is alarmed that university managements will react with further staff cuts. Not only have universities not employed sufficient staff to match the rise in student numbers, but too many new and replacement appointments are casual or short term. Half of the teaching in universities is now being done by casually employed lecturers and tutors who are paid for teaching hours and do not know if they will be working from one semester to the next....[READ MORE]….
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UA plan to cut redtape
8 April 2013 | A submission by Universities Australia (UA) to the federal opposition’s “deregulation taskforce” highlights examples of excessive red tape and calls for a plan to streamline government reporting requirements and regulation which UA says costs universities $280 million pa in compliance and reporting costs. The submission proposes five measures to reduce this burden….[READ MORE]….
Six Australian unis in world top 100
5 March 3013 | The Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings have placed six Australian universities in the world’s top 100, based on the opinions of 17,000 professors from around the world. The University of Melbourne, at 39, once again came first among the Australians, moving up four places since last year. The University of NSW and Monash entered the top 100 for the first time, joining Australian National University (equal 42nd), Sydney (49) and the University of Queensland (71-80)….[READ MORE]….
AEI to cut 4 Asia posts
4 March 2013 | The Commonwealth government is cutting its education counsellor posts in Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The counsellors are part of the Australian Education International (AEI) network of education representatives who connect Australia’s billion-dollar education industry with overseas opportunities – smoothing regulation issues and assisting with student visa regulations….[READ MORE]….
Uni Sydney staff to strike
4 March 2013 | National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at the University of Sydney will strike for 24 hours Thursday 7 March over enterprise bargaining. NTEU branch president Michael Thomson accused university management of a lack of commitment to the bargaining process and foreshadowed further action if there’s no agreement by mid-March….[READ MORE]….
$s don’t add up on jobs & innovation plan
20 February 2013 | The government’s innovation and jobs package was launched this week despite warnings from the industry department and the tax office that the $1 billion saving at its heart might never eventuate. It was funded by the axing of accelerated research and development tax breaks for about 20 mining, financial services and retail companies with turnovers above $20 billion, a move forecast to raise $1 billion over four years….[READ MORE]…..
Staff vote for industrial action at Sydney uni
19 February 2013 | National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at the University of Sydney have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action over their claims for a new Enterprise Agreement. With over 1000 NTEU members participating in the ballot for protected industrial action, more than 900 voted in support of one hour and twenty four hour stoppages and almost 800 members voted for indefinite stoppages….[READ MORE]…..
Innovation precincts will strengthen industry research – UA
19 February 2013 | The government’s industry and innovation statement – A Plan for Australian Jobs – has the potential to unleash research and innovation as the key drivers of national productivity, according to Universities Australia (UA)….[READ MORE]…..
Benefits of precincts ‘a mystery’
19 February 2013 | The Commonwealth government’s plan to develop innovation precincts is a great idea but whether it will work is a mystery, says one of Australia’s foremost innovation authorities, Terry Cutler (he chaired the government’s review of innovation in 2008). Cutler said the initiative is great in theory, but it’s a strategy without an implementation plan….[READ MORE]…..
Unis may need to rein in growth
18 February 2013 | Chairman of the Australian Technology Network Peter Coaldrake has echoed his counterpart in the Innovative Research Universities Barney Glover that, in the absence of an increase in base funding, universities may need to rein in the growth of student numbers in order to maintain quality….[READ MORE]…..
Uni Canberra – Holmesglen hook-up plan unhooked?
4 February 2013 | The Scan has been assured, by reputable sources, that this post is materially wrong on a number of points. The project seems to have been scaled back somewhat but the UC-Holmesglen collaboration is set go, with a number of UC degree courses launching at Holmesglen’s main campus the week beginning 11 February . We have also been told the joint UC-Holmesglen programs have strong pathways elements. As soon as we have further and better particulars, we’ll let you know.
1 February 2013 | The Commonwealth government has rejected the University of Canberra’s plans topartner with 
Holmesglen Institute of TAFE to offer degree courses in Melbourne. Apparently Evans was also critical of the Canberra/Holmesglen proposal as there was no TAFE component associated with the degree offering. Holmesglen would have essentially been the provider of the three and four year degree programs auspiced by the University of Canberra, rather than providing a pathway from higher level TAFE qualification to a degree…..[READ MORE]…..
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Academic Gongs
27 January 2013 | While academics feature strongly in the annual Australia Day honours list, some of the distinctions between recipients (who got what) aren’t readily apparent (the “why” of who get what?). And TAFE/VET people barely feature at all.
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CQU/CQIT merger at risk over TAFE funding cuts
21 January 2013 | The Commonwealth government has put on hold Commonwealth funding of $500 million for TAFE infrastructure in response to last year’s state cuts to TAFE funding, putting at risk the proposed merger of Queensland Central University and Central Queensland Institute of TAFE. Commonwealth skills minister Chris Evans has confirmed that $74 million in funding towards the merger is now in doubt and blamed the Queensland government’s intention to “slash funding” for TAFEs. He says the Queensland government hasn’t responded to his concerns about how the state’s reform plans would affect the financial viability of the merger…..[Read more]…
More students, more costs, more dosh: Grattan Institute
21 January 2013 | The Grattan Institute’s annual assessment of the state of Australian higher education shows that student debt is at its highest level ever. Government estimates indicate that $6.2 billion of the $26.3 billion owed under the HELP student loan scheme will never be repaid. The report shows that although students are charged more for their education than in the past, financially this has been more than covered by increasing income. Estimated career earnings of a bachelor-degree graduate increased by about $80,000 in real terms between 2006 and 2011, compared to someone with a Year 12 only education….[Read more]…
Doubtful student loans top $6 bill
21 January 2013 | A new report by the Grattan Institute, Mapping Australian Higher Education 2013, says that, based on government figures, total Higher Education Loan Program (HELP aka HECS) debt reached $26.3 billion in 2012, and will be driven higher due to the increased number of students in higher education following the federal government’s decision to end student quotas. With increasing numbers of Australians working overseas, the amount of delayed debt repayment and debt never likely to be repaid is increasing and has reached $6.2 billion. The Commonwealth government says that officials have been asked “to consider strategies to recover HECS payments from people living overseas who have not contributed towards their debt”….[Read more]…
Vic culls eligible providers
21 January 2013 | Victoria has slashed the number of private training colleges eligible for government funds by more than half, in a renewed effort to drive out shonky providers. The approved providers’ list, which featured over 600 training organisations in 2011, now stands at just 281…..[Read more]…
Main Round Offers
The following reports are based on information provided to The Scan and/or published on Tertiary Admission Centre websites. We ‘re awaiting advice on offers in Queensland, South Australia/NT and Tasmania. We note that data do not include offers made in response to applications directly to institutions (that is, outside TAC processes) and therefore may not be directly comparable to earlier years. While the strong growth of recent years will have eased (except at ACU), it’s a bit early to be making definitive calls that “demand has plateaued” or “growth has stalled”. It’s a new system – demand driven funding – and we really haven’t got a fix yet on how it’s affecting both the application process (how individuals are adapting) or the recruitment/selection process (how institutions are adapting). In 2012, direct applications increased by 7.3% when compared with 2011, as against an increase of 2.2% through the TACs (and we aren’t talking insignificant numbers – 273 167 applications made through TACs, as against 76 805 applications made directly to universities in 2012). There were 61 833 offers resulting from direct applications, an increase of 9.6% between 2011 and 2012, as against 222 476 offers through TACs, an increase of 5.2% compared with 2011. We think that informed judgements about what’s happening out there will have to await further and better particulars, which means the publication of the Commonwealth department’s annual report on applications, offers and acceptances (about May).
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Victorian uni offers up 1.1%
17 January 2013 | The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) received a total of 68,584 first preference applications in 2012/13, up by 0.6% on 2011/12. Some 47,995 applicants received university offers in the Main Round, up 0.1%, on top of 9,796 early offers, up 2.5%. With 3,033 applicants having received early and Main Round offers, all up 54,758 applicants received at least one university offer, up 1.1%. Offers have increased by 22% since 2008/09, from 47,269….[Read more]…
WA uni offers down 2%
17 January 2013 | WA’s Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) reports that WA universities received 19,065 applications in 2012/13, down from 19,258 last year (-1%) and that 16,189 offers were made in this year’s Main Round, down from 16,524 (-2%). The decline in offers is due to the decrease in application numbers and to a change in policy by one university to require direct application by those who deferred their 2012 offer….[Read more]…
NSW/ACT university offers up 2.7%
16 January 2013 | The NSW University Admissions Centre (UAC) has received 85,880 domestic applications so far this year (up from 84,554 last year), with Main Round offers being made to approximately 65% of applicants. Main Round offers totalled 55,804, a decrease of 3,184 on last year. However, universities have made 72,089 offers in total, including offers from earlier rounds (compared to 70,186 at the same time last year, an increase of 2.7%)….[Read more]…
Early offers on the rise
16 January 2013 | It’s the university “main round offer” season, with NSW and the ACT releasing offers today (16 January) and most other jurisdictions tomorrow (17 January). But the main round through Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs) is becoming somewhat less than the comprehensive exercise of a few years ago, with early offers in NSW and the ACT almost doubling in two years, to 16,000. Direct offers to mature age applicants, outside TAC processes, are also becoming increasingly the norm….[Read more]…
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Vale Peter Redlich
5 January 2013
Peter Redlich passed away on 3 January 2013. Among his many contributions to the Victorian community, Peter was a member of the Council of Monash University from 2005 to 2009.
Peter created, developed and for many years led the progressive legal firm of Holding Redlich, pursuing his vision of it becoming a legal resource available to all. This was based on his unflinching belief in social justice and the need to defend and protect fundamental human rights whenever they were in danger.
Peter was a great leader, partner, confidante and mentor…to people in all walks of life who were fortunate to be close to him.
Farewell and thank you Peter.
- Tribute notice 5 January 2013
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Victorian Year 12 results
17 December 2012 | More than 49,000 students have graduated with their Victorian Certificate of Education and over 11,000 students completed their Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) in 2012. Eligible VCE students will also get their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)….[Continue reading]….
Let us know outcomes in other jurisdictions!!
Evans damns TAFE cuts
17 December 2012 | Commonwealth minister for skills Chris Evans has met with New South Wales TAFE teachers who are facing the sack as a result of the O’Farrell State Government’s cuts to TAFE. More than 800 jobs will be axed as a result of the NSW government’s decision to cut TAFE funding, slash jobs and increase student fees….[Continue reading]….
Students face disciplinary action over protest
17 December 2012 | La Trobe University is facing a student backlash over rights to protest, after it charged three students with misconduct over their alleged actions during demonstrations against cuts to the humanities faculty….[Continue reading]….
Education faculties slammed over poor results
14 December 2012 | University education faculties and state education departments have been singled singled out to shoulder some responsibility for the shockingly poor results for Australian primary students in international reading, maths and science tests. The tests reveal that about 25% of students in Year 4 failed to meet the minimum standard while students’ results in maths and science have stagnated during the past 16 years….[Continue reading]….
STEM teaching patchy
14 December 2012 | Engineering faculties were singled out for special disfavour according to the Interests and Recruitment in Science study, conducted in late 2011 for chief scientist Ian Chubb. The report showed only 56% of 3500 respondents thought their lecturers “actually cared’ whether or not their students learned. Less than half received personal feedback from them and tutors and for students at Group of Eight universities the figure was less than 40%….[Continue reading]….
ATARs becoming less important
13 December 2012 | Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks were the determining factor in less than 34% of undergraduate admissions this year, according to HES estimates based on innovation department statistics. At least 66% of admissions — mature-age students who applied through tertiary admission centres, school-leavers who were made direct offers and international students — were determined only partially, if at all, on ATARs….[Continue reading]….
CQU puts value on teaching and scholarship
13 December 2012 | Staff at Central Queensland University are about to vote on an enterprise agreement that will divide academics into five categories, whereby the most effective researchers will spend only 10 % of their time teaching. At the other end of the spectrum, the best teachers will spend only 10% of their time on research, although the vice-chancellor, Scott Bowman, is clear about the relationship between academics and scholarship….[Continue reading]….
WA medical research brain drain?
11 December 2012 | West Australian researchers say they are being treated unfairly under the national medical funding system, in which their share has dropped markedly in the past decade. In the latest round of grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the country’s biggest funding source of health and medical research and development, WA received only 5.5% of the total funds available, down from 8% in 2002….[Continue reading]….
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ERA 2012 shows improvement in research and gaming
10 December 2012 | The Excellence in Research Australia 2012 results show marked improvement over the first ERA round in 2010, with more universities being at world standard or better, particularly the “middleranking” universities in the IRU and ATN groupings….[Continue reading]….
Australians becoming more qualified
10 December 2012 | Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal increasing higher education levels in all age ranges between 20 and 64, with the proportion of adults with degrees going over 25% for the first time ever….[Continue reading]….
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Australian university research performance – ERA 2012
6 December 2012 | The results of the 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia to be released today (6 December) reveals that the majority of Australian universities have taken a strategic view, with the best throwing their considerable weight behind research across the board and smaller regional universities showing higher levels of concentration. Melbourne University is the best performer, according to an analysis by The Australian, followed by Sydney second, with Australian National University and the University Queensland tying third.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Demand driven system wreaking havoc
13 November 2012 | All economics study at the University of Western Sydney next year will be dumped except for one introductory course for first-year business students, and those enrolling in Islamic studies won’t be able to learn Arabic after cutbacks forced by a lack of demand…..[Continue reading]…
Academics working hard but staying put
13 November 2012 | More than half of academics working full-time put in at least 50 hours a week, according to a new survey. A further 39% work between 40 and 49 hours. Given a choice, 52% of the academics said they would work fewer hours, and 44% would work about the same….[Continue reading]…
We’re getting smarter…
31 October 2012 | Education levels in Australia are rising, with the latest census figures showing a dramatic rise in the number of people with a tertiary qualification, with an extra 27% of Australians now holding a bachelor degree (of the population) up from 11.6% in 2006 to 13.5% in 2011….[Continue reading]…
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________NSW introduces public transport concessions for international students
30 October 2012 | NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has announced the extension of public transport concessions to international students during a visit to India, leaving Victoria as the only state that doesn’t provide such concessions…..[Continue reading]…
Curtin pay deal
29 October 2012 | Staff at Curtin University in Perth have won an in-principle agreement to provide 17% wage increase over 4 years. The enterprise agreement also provides for firm caps on teaching loads and provides for the creation of teaching only positions….[Continue reading]…
Australian unis in the Asian century
29 October 2012 | Universities Australia has welcomed the Australia in the Asian Century white paper, saying it reinforces the central role that Australian universities will play in driving Australia’s future productivity and economic resilience as we pursue the opportunities and grapple with the challenges presented by this exciting century….[Continue reading]…
Vic government takes more control over TAFE boards
29 October 2012 | Victoria’s Baillieu government is set to take more control over TAFE boards proposing legislation to appoint all TAFE board members, not just a majority as currently. TAFE chief executives will also be excluded from being on the board….[Continue reading]…
Regulators monitoring VET funding cuts
26 October 2012 | TEQSA chief commissioner Carol Nicoll has told told a Senate estimates committee the the higher education regulator has written to its 173 providers asking to be notified of any financial impacts from cuts to state vocational training budgets. The national VET regulator is also keeping a close watch….[Continue reading]…
Govt defends record on uni spending
24 October 2012 | The government has gone on the front foot over higher education cuts in MYEFO. Tertiary education minister Chris Evans has pointed out that the current government has invested more than $43.2 billion in core university funding from 2008 to 2011- a 50% increase on the previous four years under the Howard government. He has also pointed out that the government has significantly added to the forward estimates for student income support….[Continue reading]…
AEU slams NSW VET reforms
24 October 2012 | The AEU has slammed NSW VET market reforms as repeating “the same failed experiment in market reform of its TAFE system which has led to the decimation of TAFE institutes in Victoria.”….[Continue reading]…
NSW moves to VET market
23 October 2012 | NSW will fund private colleges from 2014, under a version of the open market that has blown Victoria’s training budget and fostered widespread rorting. However the state government says its system will have measures to protect TAFEs and prevent gaming of public funds….[Continue reading]…
Sector reactions to MYEFO – mainly calm
22 October 2012 | The tertiary education portfolio bore the brunt of portfolio cuts in the “Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook”, with $1.42 billion over 4 years. About $500 billion will be saved by “slowing” the Sustainable Research program, while the “cessation” of higher Education Facilitation Funding will save another $270 million….Continue reading]…
Medical research grants announced but uncertainty remains
22 October 2012 | The Commonwealth government has announced $652 million in National Health and Medical Research Council grants, the first tranche of grants to emerge from the Government’s freeze ahead of the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) on 22 October….[Continue reading]…
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Research, training funding cuts
22 October 2012 | The Commonwealth’s “Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook” (MYEFO) has announced revenue and expense measures which will yield $16 million in additional revenue and program savings/cuts over four years. The bulk of portfolio savings will come from programs administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Research, Science and Tertiary Education which will yield $1.42 billion over four years. …..[Continue reading]…
Australian business schools rate highly
8 October 2012 | Australian business schools dominate The Economist magazine’s 2012 MBA rankings in the Asia and Australasia region. The University of Queensland Business School was ranked first in the region – and 27th out of 118 globally – while the Melbourne Business School was ranked second in the region…..[Continue reading]…
Deakin students expelled over plagiarism
8 October 2012 | Deakin University has expelled nine international students among a large group investigated for submitting work they had not completed themselves….[Continue reading]…
Training “reforms” off to small start
6 October 2012 | The Commonwealth government has endorsed the Northern Territory’s plan to roll out the new national training ‘entitlement’ and is providing an additional $18 million over the next 5 years to help fund it. But questions persist over whether similar agreements will be struck with the big eastern states which have cut more than $450 million from their combined vocational training budgets this year….[Continue reading]…
Public VET $s pouring into private provision
3 October | Governments have almost tripled their funding of private training since 2007 from about $410 million in 2007 to $1.4 billion last year. catapulting TAFEs towards minority provider status, a new NCVER report reveals….[Continue reading]…
States likely to reject intern funding deal
2 October | The Coalition states appear unlikely to accept an 11th-hour deal to resolve a shortage in medical intern places, despite the federal government’s offer to fund most of the shortfall….[Continue reading]…
Latest estimate of Vic TAFE job losses
2 October | The Australian Education Union has estimated that announced job losses as a result of cuts to Victorian TAFE funding of $311.2m in a full year now total 2034 positions….[Continue reading]…
TAFE Development Centre rebranded
1 October | The Victorian government has renamed the TAFE Development Centre (TDC) as the VET Development Centre to reflect the changing nature of Victoria’s vocational education and training (VET) sector….[Continue reading]…
ANU warns on MOOCs
1 October | Australian universities should be wary of being their “own worst enemy” when embracing Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) delivery, says Australian National University vice chancellor Ian Young….[Continue reading]…
Red outlook for Vic TAFEs
1 October | Just five standalone TAFEs in Victoria expect to be in surplus next year, down from ten last year, even though NCVER statistics reveal that Victoria now spends more than any other state on vocational training. It spent almost $1.2 billion, nearly $150m more than NSW and over $300m more than it had outlaid the previous year….[Continue reading]…
States could scuttle intern deal
28 September | The Commonwealth has offered $10 million to fund 100 desperately medical training placements but only if the states fund another 80. Queensland, at least, reported doesn’t intend to come to the party….[Continue reading]…
Reprehensible elegy…?
27 September | A scholar and teacher of French who wrote a satirical poem to cheer up a sacked colleague upset a few colleagues who considered his poetic reflections defamatory. He ended up having his own services dispensed with by the University of New England. After a flurry of letters and meetings, UNE has said goodbye to its mostly unpaid French lecturer Jim Nicholls, saying his poem was “calculated to bring senior officers of the university into disrepute”….[Continue reading]….
27 September | An anti-vaccine campaigner doing her PhD at University of Wollongong has maintained her candidature despite implying the family of a child who died from whooping cough were liars. Judy Wilyman has also linked autism with vaccines and recently questioned the value of the vaccine Gardasil in the fight against cervical cancer…..[Continue reading]….
UQ joins MOOCs rush
25 September | The University of Queensland has become the latest institution to embrace open online learning, committing to offer up to 12 courses in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) format over the next two years….[Continue reading]…
Melbourne embraces MOOC revolution
21 September | The University of Melbourne has become the first Australian university to join the online course provider Coursera, which comprises universities such as Princeton and Stanford in the US and offers free subjects to “anyone, anywhere with a computer and Internet access.” ….[Continue reading]…
23 September | Farah Tomazin reflects not just on the Victorian TAFE funding cuts but cuts to public education spending generally and concludes “these decisions not only erode public education, they hit the very people who are most at risk of not getting an education.” ….[Continue reading]…
“Remarkable scientific achievement” towards quantum computing
21 September | A research team led by Australian engineers has created the first working quantum bit, opening the way to ultra-powerful quantum computers of the future….[Continue reading]…
Teaching excellence awarded
20 September | University staff from 38 universities across Australia have been recognised for enriching student learning with prestigious Citation Awards from the Commonwealth Government. …[Continue reading]…
Pow Wow deregistered
20 September | The Australian Skills Quality Authority has rejected an application from Victorian-based Pow Wow Training to renew its registration as a national training provider, registration leaving more than 1000 students to find somewhere else to complete their studies. …..[Continue reading]…
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AFR expands tertiary coverage
24 September | The Australian Financial Review (AFR) has run a useful tertiary education section, with 5-6 items, in its Monday edition for some time. But with the appointment of Tim Dodd (formerly media director at IDP) as editor of the section, it has been considerably vamped up. The 24 September edition has 20 items, including a couple of opinion pieces by vice-chancellors and features by Erica Cervini who covered higher education issues (and may still) for The Age….[Continue reading]…
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Govt to keep advice to a “secret”
23 September | The Victorian government has refused to release the advice it commissioned before slashing the TAFE sector’s budget, forcing institutes to cut courses and make thousands of workers redundant. TAFE institute directors have condemned the government’s refusal to release the full KPMG modelling….[Continue reading]…
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Campus closures, course cuts, fee increases, job losses across state
19 September 2012 | A leaked summary of Victorian TAFE transition plans reveals plans for possible mergers, takeovers and asset swaps. The document, which summarises TAFE strategies to survive a $300 million budget cut, covers Victoria’s 14 stand-alone institutes and four dual-sector universities as well as a surprise entry from La Trobe University….[Continue reading]…
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The leaked Cabinet-in – Confidence document detailing Victorian TAFE “transition plans” can be seen HERE.
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Quelle surprise: lust can be good for you…
21 September | ….not just because of the obvious potential personal benefits, but because it boosts your brain, according to University of Melbourne experimental psychologist Simon Laham.
Because lust is there to essentially lead us to pursue people into bed, which is a very current goal, it tends to focus our minds on the present and on detail. People in a lustful state are more detailed [in their thinking], focused on the trees rather than the forest,which leads to decomposition of a problem into smaller pieces.
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Need to close indigenous HE gap
14 September The proportion of indigenous students on campus should be roughly doubled from 1.09%of university students to 2.2% to match the indigenous share of the working-age population, a report on indigenous participation in higher education recommends….[Continue reading]…
Go8 warns on research freeze
14 September A letter to the Prime Minister signed by the vice-chancellors of the Group of Eight universities warns that any freeze to research grants as part of the budget savings drive could cost up to 1700 jobs, increase sovereign risk fears among international investors and spark a brain drain of leading researchers going overseas….[Continue reading]…
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RUN universities to collaborate on better access & regional delivery
10 September 2012
The Regional Universities Network’s second annual Regional Tertiary Education Conference agreed on a number of initiatives to improve the delivery of higher education in regional Australia. These include an “accord” on partnerships and collaboration between RUN members that may eventually include double-badged degrees and joint research student supervision, the sharing of back office systems, and wider collaboration on research, appointments and student transfers. They are also proposing a partnership scheme between universities and regional high schools targeting regional areas where final-year retention rates are 20%lower than in capital cities.
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Aust unis lose ground in QS rankings…
11 September Local universities are losing ground in the QS global ranking, with one less Australian university in the top 100, as international competitors build their academic reputations and begin to pursue the overseas student market in earnest…..[Continue reading]…
….but 50% make top 500
11 September The QS rankings do, however, confirm Australia’s continued strong standing in the world rankings with 25 of Australia’s 39 universities in the world’s top 500. There are at least 11,000 universities worldwide International rankings identify the top 500 or top 5%, inclusion in which indicates a university of significantly high standing….[Continue reading]…
Unis “price gouged” on ICT
11 September Australian universities are being slugged vastly higher sums for IT products than their British counterparts, forcing them to divert money from worthwhile activities, according to a submission by Monash University to federal parliament’s “price-gouging” inquiry….[Continue reading]…
MyUniversity site enhanced
11 September Launching an updated and improved MyUniversity website , Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans, said the online tool will help students make better decisions about where and what to study….[Continue reading]…
CSIRO chief astronomer to head SKA project
11 September The construction of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) , a ground-breaking radio telescope capable of scanning the darkest depths of the universe, will be headed by one of Australia’s top astronomers, Dr Phil Diamond, chief of astronomy and space science at CSIRO….[Continue reading]….
SA keeps private providers on tight leash
11 September While almost three-quarters of the 300-odd applicants for government-funded training in South Australia have so far had made it through a screening process, just 10% of these had been granted full five-year contracts, with most being awarded shorter two or three-year contracts because, while they met the essential selection criteria, the assessments had identified a “level of potential risk”….[Continue reading]…
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VET regulator “struggling”
10 September The Australian Skills and Qualifications Authority (ASQA) says the comments by ASQA commissioner Michael Lavarch apparently suggesting the agency is under resourced had been broadcast “out of context” and that ASQA has “been given the resources and powers to take strong action, and we are deploying them.”…[Continue reading]…
Growing chorus of criticism of Qld TAFE report
9 September The recommendation of the Queensland Skills and Training Taskforce for a “rationalised structure” for Queensland’s TAFE network, which would see institutes merged and 82 campuses reduced to just 44, would be a double-blow to Queensland TAFEs if they aren’t given more autonomy. According to Martin Riordan, CEO of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) closing 38 regional campuses could also rob many communities of what was often “the largest institution in town”….[Continue reading]…
WA TAFEs to specialise
9 September Western Australia could develop specialised TAFEs to help drive its specialised economy, with Premier Colin Barnett, saying he wants WA TAFEs to become “centres of excellence” within broad educational providers…[Continue reading]…
Terrors of the Tweetgeist
7 September On 29 August Monash stood staffer Tanya Heti down on full pay and ordered an investigation into alleged Tweeting misconduct. The investigation concluded the staff member did not engage in misconduct….[Continue reading]…
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Qld TAFE may become standalone authority
3 September 2012 An interim report by the Queensland Skills and Training Taskforce has recommended that Queensland TAFE become a stand-alone statutory authority as part of an overhaul of the state’s vocational education and training system.
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Teacher training might cost a “bomb”
4 September In her response to the Gonski Report, Julia Gillard flagged new requirements for trainees to spend more time in front of classes before they graduate. But this laudable aim of giving trainee teachers more classroom experience may end up costing universities a bomb, educator Stephen Dinham has warned….[Continue Reading]…
Qld TAFE may become standalone authority
3 September An interim report by the Queensland Skills and Training Taskforce has recommended that Queensland TAFE become a stand-alone statutory authority as part of an overhaul of vocational education and training (VET)….[Continue Reading]…
Fears of research funding freeze
3 September University chiefs fear the Gillard government’s razor gang may have $320 million in research grants in its sights, potentially crippling innovation and devastating their balance sheets….[Continue Reading]…
Rankings game pays off
3 September University rankings have become a formidable force in contemporary higher education, and none more so than the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) compiled by China’s ShanghaiJiaoTongUniversity. Simon Marginson says a ranking is the equivalent of an equity price in the corporate world and, higher rankings mean better students, better staff and more money. But Australia’s chief scientist Ian Chubb, a former vice-chancellor of the ANU, is sceptical about ARWU rankings, obswerving that while it is referred to as prestigious and highly regarded, he doesn’t think it’s either of those things….[Continue Reading]…
1 September Commonwealth Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans has told the Australian Council for Private Education and Training’s national conference that he doesn’t expect Commonwealth-supported places (CSPs) to become available to private colleges for at least the next two years but “it’s something that will come as the sector develops”….[Continue Reading]…
1 September It’s unclear whether Queensland will proceed with its first dual-sector university, with the Queensland education minister telling a conference it will go ahead but acknowledging the matter is still to be considered by the Queensland cabinet….[Continue Reading]…
1 September Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans has revealed that a formal government response to the base funding review will be released within the next two months but he’s hosed down any expectations of a funding windfall….[Continue Reading]…
1 September Victorian government spokespeople constantly assert that the “Victorian government is directing an extra $1 billion over the next four years into the state’s training system.” That’s true only if you look at it from the perspective of what was expected in 2008 – that is, about 4 years ago….[Continue Reading]…
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1 September The IRU network of seven universities has launched a range of materials to encourage industry and universities to work together to develop Australia’s future skilled workforce….[Continue Reading]…
1 September Tertiary Education Minister Chris says that the Commonwealth government will consider withholding funding due to Victoria under a $1.75 billion “national partnership” agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments in April because of Victoria’s $300 million TAFE budget cuts….[Continue Reading]…
Gillard slams Baillieu over TAFE cuts
25 August 2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the Baillieu Government has “betrayed” Victorians by cutting TAFE funding.In a blistering attack, Ms Gillard said the $300 million a year cut was a particularly “heavy blow” for towns such as Warrnambool, Morwell and Mildura where local TAFEs were part of the “social fabric”. The PM said the decision would harm Victoria’s economic future and was “just crazy”.
A complete betrayal of every Victorian who wants to get ahead.
Ms Gillard delivered the spray as she gave an upbeat speech about Victoria’s future at a conference called Victoria at the Crossroads hosted by Victoria University.
Audit commission recommends greater TAFE autonomy
24 August 2012
The NSW Commission of Audit on Government Expenditure has recommended that NSW TAFEs be given greater autonomy in the increasingly competitive VET environment:
…the cost structure of TAFE and its ability to raise commercial revenues must be put on a basis to compete more directly with private providers…In any model where TAFE is required to compete on broadly similar terms to private providers, Institute Directors will need greater autonomy to make decisions based on changing conditions in their local markets.
The Coalition has put full-fee degrees back on the table, but denied it would seek to reintroduce caps on student places, with Coalition education spokesman Christopher Pyne pointing out that the Coalition strongly supported the uncapping of university places and many other elements of the Bradley Review of higher education….[Continue Reading]…
Voter dissatisfaction with the way Ted Baillieu is running Victoria has soared 21 percentage points in the past year as his preferred premier rating has collapsed 17 points, on the back of multi-billion-dollar hits to the state’s finances, the decision to slash 4200 public-sector jobs and harsh cuts to the TAFE sector. Meanwhile, an unreleased audit report recommends radical changes in the delivery of public services in favour of creating “competitive markets”….[Continue Reading]…
A Curtin University study has shown doctors should wear a stethoscope and surround themselves with “iconic” medical symbols in order to gain a patient’s trust….[Continue Reading]…
The Victorian-led synchrotron is finalising details for a 2013 takeover by the federal nuclear science agency….[Continue Reading]…
Tony Abbott’s budget razor gang is considering plans to charge students more for university degrees and introduce a new cap on university places….[Continue Reading]…
La Trobe’s V-C was forced to flee from student protestors at La Trobe’s open day….[Continue Reading]…
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency has hit back at accusations levelled by universities of onerous reporting requirements and lengthy approval processes…. [Continue Reading]…
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Tas VET funding to go contestable
UC cleared of “soft marking”
Schools hit hard by TAFE cuts
Maxine McKew appointed V-C’s fellow
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Review of national VET regulation consultation paper released
18 June 2012
The National Skills Standards Council (NSSC), chaired by former treasurer and education minister John Dawkins, has released a consultation paper on the standards for the regulation of Vocational Education and Training (VET). The council is being tasked to review standards for the regulation of VET
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More students than ever are studying at tertiary level
18 June 2012
More students than ever are studying at tertiary level, according to the latest tertiary education and training figures, according to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Tertiary education and training in Australia 2010 .
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NTEU seeking to “call time” on growth of casual employment in universities
17 June 2012
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will use the upcoming higher education enterprise bargaining round to create 2000 new ongoing jobs for casual academics, better regulate escalating workloads and improve conditions and career advancement for professional staff in universities
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Sally Walker appointed head of Law Council
17 June 2012
The Law Council of Australia has appointed former Deakin University vice-chancellor Professor (Emeritus) Sally Walker AM to the role of Secretary- General of the Law Council. Prior to accepting the position of Secretary-General, Professor Walker was working as a strategic advisor and consultant, having held the position of Vice-Chancellor and President of Deakin University from 2003 to 2010.
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Hundreds protest at TAFE cuts in Ballarat
15 June 2012
Hundreds of protesters greeted Premier Ted Baillieu as he arrived in Ballarat to speak at the Regional Press Club. Angry TAFE students and staff staged the protest in response to 60 courses being cut at the University of Ballarat after a $20 million funding cut put its arts school and business and racing certificates at the university’s Horsham campus in the gun
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Supercomputer boost to Australian research
15 June 2012
The door to the petascale era is being opened for critical Australian research in climate change, the environment, and a host of other areas. This transformational change comes with ANU signing an agreement with Fujitsu to build and install a 1.2 Petaflop supercomputer—the most powerful computer in Australia and amongst the largest in the world—and capable of performing 170,000 calculations per second for each of the seven billion people on the planet.
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ANU School of Music restructure details announced
15 June 2012
ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young has announced the university’s plan to restructure the School of Music, following consultation process the university and Canberra communities over the last month. He said that the plan is intended to be fully responsive to all the concerns which had been highlighted during that consultation process.
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VTA: “truth smothered in lies”
15 June 2012
The Victorian TAFE Association has condemned comments by Coalition MPs at the Victorian and Federal levels, which appear to be “an orchestrated attempt…to smother the truth of the $300 million in TAFE funding cuts in a blanket of lies.
In an effort to obfuscate and dodge responsibility for implementing the single biggest cut to TAFE funding in its history, a number of politicians at the federal and state level appear to be uttering rehearsed lines of misinformation.
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New D V-C at UNSW
13 June 2012
The University of New South Wales has announced the appointment of Professor Iain Martin as Vice-President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). Professor Martin joins UNSW from the University of Auckland where he is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Engagement).
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Hidden report tells of TAFE job cuts
13 June 2012The Victorian government has buried independent reports which apparently prove it had prior knowledge that its vocational training budget cuts could cost thousands of jobs. TAFEs have estimated the cuts will cost about $300 million and up to 2100 jobs, while private providers estimate they will be down at least $90m, at the cost of thousands of more jobs.
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CSU appoints new Deputy Vice-Chancellors
12 June 2012
Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced the appointment of two new Deputy Vice-Chancellors. Professor Garry Marchant will join CSU as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Professor Ken Dillon will take up the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). He is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Bond Universityand has a background in business and economics.
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Dawkins to review training standards
9 June 2012
Former Commonwealth treasurer and education minister John Dawkins will spearhead a review of training standards, as governments move to stamp out low quality courses and rorting of funds. The review, which will advise on regulatory standards for some 5000 colleges around the country, follows last year’s establishment of a national authority to take over from state-based vocational training regulators.
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Policy-based evidence supports Victorian “skills reform”
9 June 2012
In what appears to be a classic case of presenting ”policy-based evidence”, the Victorian government has been accused of trying to hide information about the composition of its open training market, after private colleges overtook TAFEs for the first time.
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Victorian TAFE cuts an “attack on working people”
The Conversation 6 June 2012The phrase “class warfare” has been thrown around a lot in the media and within political circles recently – usually without much basis. But in Victoria it is very real; the current Liberal Government has declared open class warfare on the state’s workers through the drastic downsizing of publicly funded TAFE institutes.
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The law comes to ACU
5 June 2012
A Bachelor of Laws at Australian Catholic University (ACU) has been approved by the Victorian Council of Legal Education, chaired by Chief Justice Marilyn Warren of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The Bachelor of Laws will commence at ACU’s Melbourne Campus in 2013, and at the North Sydney Campus from 2014.
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TAFEs campaign on community attitudes
5 June 2012
A survey commissioned by the Victorian TAFE Association last December found that just 1% of the 1000-plus respondents supported cuts to TAFE budgets. Almost 60% agreed that any additional funding should go to TAFEs, while 27% said it should be shared between the two sectors. Only 17% of the survey respondents agreed that privatising TAFEs would make them more efficient.
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Bigger costs at other end of telescope
5 June 2012
Splitting the Square Kilometre Array telescope between Australia and South Africa is a political decision likely to increase costs but has the merit of bringing in more researchers, according to the journal Nature in an editorial.
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Evans rules out VET takeover
5 June 2012
Tertiary education minister Chris Evans has dismissed suggestions that a Commonwealth takeover of vocational education and training is the way to solve policy challenges in the sector. These have recently been highlighted by its dispute with Victoria over the state’s budget cuts to public TAFES. Senator Evans ruled out expanding sub-degree places to make up for Victoria’s cuts, saying that would just be cost shifting. He also defended the merits of taking a competitive market approach to training systems despite the budget blow outs and quality concerns that have hit the Victorian market
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Vic students on track to higher education & training
4 June 2012
For the first time ever more than half of all school leavers went on to study a bachelor degree at university or TAFE this year, according to the Victorian government’s student destination survey – On Track. Releasing the survey, Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall said 52% of students who completed Year 12 last year went on to study a bachelor degree, up from 49.4% in 2011.
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TEQSA audit finds problems with UTAS offshore program
4 June 2012
The University of Tasmania has no proper way to ensure that its English language standards are upheld in offshore programs,according to an audit report by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. UTAS should make sure that English proficiency is monitored independently and systematically. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Qld opts in to national VET regulation
4 June 2012
Queensland will opt in to the national regulatory system for vocational training, after the Newman government last week reintroduced legislation to refer the state’s regulatory powers to the commonwealth. Education, Training and Employment Minister John-Paul Langbroek told parliament the referral would deliver substantial benefits to the training industry, including the very tangible benefits associated with a reduction of regulatory burden on business.
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Go8 queries TEQSA data collection exercise as heavyhanded
1 June 2012
The Group of Eight universities have decided to seek legal advice in their campaign against what they see as a “one size fits all” demand for data by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. Group chair Fred Hilmer, vice-chancellor at the University of NSW, argues that the regulator’s “one size fits all” plans for data reporting are at odds with the promise of lighter regulation for low-risk institutions.
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Massive job losses predicted in Victorian VET sector
1 June 2012
The Australian Council for Private Education and Training has intensified its criticisms of changes to VET funding arrangements in
Victoria, warning that its members would shed up to 20% or 4800 of their 24,000-strong Victorian workforce as a result of last month’s cuts. Taken with cuts announced in public TAFEs, this means almost 7000 jobs will be lost in Victoria and $400 million cut from vocational training
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Previously published items located at
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