__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ News __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Victorian unis "financially strong" 29 May 2015 | The Victorian Auditor General has reported that Victoria’s eight universities are in a strong financial position but he was critical of lax procedures governing travel expenditure. The eight universities, and their subsidiaries, generated a combined surplus of $537.1 million for the year ending 31 December 2014. This includes, however, audit adjustments … [Read more...]
The Scan # 169 15 May 2015
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GDP spending on higher education set to fall to half OECD average 15 May 2015 | Spending on higher education as a proportion of GDP will fall from 0.56% in 2015 down to 0.48% in 2018, well below the OECD average of 1%, an analysis of the 2015 Budget figures has determined. According to Vin Massaro, an honorary professorial fellow with the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, higher education spending is slated to drop from $9.3bn in 2015, to $8.9bn in 2016, $9.1bn in 2017 and back to $9.3bn in 2018, representing a drop in GDP every year. … [Read more...]
The Scan | #163 | 25 September 2014
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Vic’s ACFE joins TAFE “in crisis” 24 September 2014 | The travails besetting Victoria’s TAFE sector have spread to its Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) sector with the ACFE board 2013-14 annual report showing a $1.1 million loss for the ACFE Board after a $11 million cut in state government funding. ACFE returned a $9.4 million surplus in 2012-13. The sector has had a precipitous drop in government income from its peak in 2011-12 – down 80% – and since 2009-10 – down 40%..... [ MORE ].... UWA sets … [Read more...]
Sector submissions to the Senate Inquiry
……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Updated 12 October 2014 . ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… 25 September 2014 Generally supportive but with significant amendments ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The government’s higher education reform package - the Higher Education and Research Reform Amendment Bill 2014 - was referred on 3 September to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee for consideration and report by 28 October. Submissions to the inquiry closed on 22 September. The committee has published 79 submissions on its website. Following are extracts from 27 submissions lodged by higher education organisations (peak bodies) … [Read more...]
The Scan’s top ten reads – July 2014
1 August 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… In July, The Scan published 56 posts, somewhat down on the longterm average of about 20 a week. An issue that continues to resonate with Scan readers is the impact of "skills reform" on the future of the TAFE system, with three posts on that issue making the top ten reads list in July. Posts dealing with the issue of university fee deregulation have also been attracting significant interest. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......… TAFE becoming “residualised” 4 July 2014 | Analysis by Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto and LH Martin Institute) of recent VET statistics shows that TAFE’s share of publicly funded … [Read more...]
Govt likely to modify HECS repayment proposal
The Age | 1 August 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The federal government is expected to ditch one of its most controversial budget measures - the plan to apply real interest rates to student debts - following advice from the architect of the HECS repayment scheme that it is unfair to poor graduates. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......… Modelling by education economist Bruce Chapman and Timothy Higgins has found poor graduates could pay 30% more for a degree than their high-income counterparts if the government indexes student debts at the government bond rate rather than inflation. Women who take time off work to have children would be among the … [Read more...]
The Scan # 149 15 May 2014
___________________________________________________________________________________________ ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Higher education Higher education spending will rise appreciably in 2014-15, from $8.7 billion to $10.9 billion (25%), with the extension of the demand driven system to sub-bachelor places and non-university higher education providers. Modest further growth is forecast out to 2017-18, to $11.8 billion (9%). The key elements of higher education spending in the 2014-15 Budget, according to Universities Australia. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Extending the demand driven system to sub-bachelor places and non-university … [Read more...]