Not quite what you said yesterday, digger

02/10/2013 by
SSAF

PolitiFact  fact checks  Christopher Pyne on so-called "student unionism" and his review of the demand driven system and rates his post election comments a "half flip" on his pre-election commitments.  There are some things that are just never settled in the education wars. Compulsory student unionism is one of them. It was abolished in 2006 by John Howard’s Coalition government, and then returned "by the back door" (in the words of Christopher Pyne) when Labor introduced as the Student Services and Amenities Fee in 2011. Now the Coalition is planning to abolish that. As a quick digression, it’s worth noting that the SSAF isn’t compulsory student unionism at all. It’s a fee ($273 in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Higher education policy, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

The Scan | #139 | 27 September 2013

27/09/2013 by
The incomparable David Rowe makes a point in the Australian Financial Review

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pyne sends mixed message 27 September   2013   |   In his first interview as education minister, Christopher Pyne says his priorities are to “repair” international education, reduce red tape and review the demand-driven system.  Pyne said that international education issues would be tackled “sooner rather than later”, given the economic impact of a 20% to 25% decline in Australia’s biggest non-mining export industry. he nominated reducing universities’ regulatory load as the other high priority, guided by the recommendations of the recent … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACPET, ALP policies, Australian Research Council, Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Conferences, Deakin, Government, Group of 8, Higher education policy, Holmesglen TAFE, Industrial relations, James Cook University, La Trobe University, LH Martin Institute, Life & stuff, National Tertiary Education Union, Notices, Research, Scan Main Edition, Science, TAFE, TAFE Directors Australia, Uncategorized, University of Melbourne, University of NSW, UNSW, VET Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The cone of silence descends

26/09/2013 by

27 September 2013 The difference between being in government and opposition, Tony Blair once famously said, is that in government a minister wakes up and thinks, "what will I do today". In opposition, the spokesperson wakes up and thinks, "what will I say today?" New education minister Christopher Pyne possibly began to appreciate this difference when his public musings about "quantity" versus "quality" (i.e. the pros and cons of the demand driven system),  sparked the most public attention of the nascent government's term (except for deciding not automatically announcing new boat arrivals).  People think that what he says may reflect what he's going to do. It certainly inspired … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Society Tagged With: , , , , , ,

edXpress issue #011 September 2013

26/09/2013 by

Holding the new government to account With the Federal election now over, the NTEU, along with others in the higher education sector, is watching and assessing the first actions of the new Abbott Coalition Government. NTEU National ...Read More Thousands protest over the future of higher education On 20 August thousands of university staff and students across Australia took part in the National Day of Action aimed at pushing higher education further up the political agenda for the federal ...Read More Masterly inactivity or ‘unmasterly activity’ on academic freedom? The NTEU has condemned Tony Abbott’s proposed Commission of Audit which will “re-prioritise” about $900 million in annual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Industrial relations, National Tertiary Education Union, Notices, TAFE, Tertiary media, universities Tagged With: , , , ,

Pyne hoses down caps debate

26/09/2013 by

ABC News    |   25 September 2013 Education minister Christopher Pyne is trying to hose down concerns he is planning to renege on a promise not to restore limits on university places, but says he has ordered a review because he says evidence suggests "quality is suffering to achieve quantity". Labor abolished the cap on university places in 2007 to boost access to higher education, especially for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. But Pyne says the change has led to an "exponential" growth in student numbers and consequent concerns about quality in the sector. You must be living in a bubble ... if you think that there is not an issue in universities about whether there are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Government, Higher education policy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pyne confirms plans to overhaul higher education

25/09/2013 by

ABC News    |      25 September 2013 Education Minister Christopher Pyne is planning an overhaul of the higher education system, including the reintroduction of caps on university places and the removal of compulsory student service fees. Mr Pyne has confirmed he is considering reintroducing caps on university places due to concerns that the current demand-driven system is undermining quality, despite assurances in July that the Coalition had no such plans. Labor abolished the cap on places in 2007 to give more people access to higher education and to get more people from disadvantaged backgrounds into university. In an interview with the ABC's 7.30 in July, Mr Pyne said the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ALP policies, Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Higher education policy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Australian Higher Education Supplement 25 September 2013

25/09/2013 by

This is The Australian‘s own summary of lead items in its online edition. As this is a subscription service, you or your organisation will need to have a subscription to The Australian to view the full article. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pyne vows to fix uni system John Ross THE Coalition has nominated international education as its highest priority for the sector. Visa test for study-abroad plan Bernard Lane WELL over a half-million Australians head off on holiday to Bali every year. It's quality not quantity for Pyne … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Government, Higher education policy, Industrial relations, International, Research, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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