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Education Minister Jason Clare has been clear he wants to take his time with the Universities Accord final report. As he told a Universities Australia gala dinner in Canberra last night, “it’s a blueprint not for one budget but for the next few decades”.
He is not ruling many things in or out at this stage. One of the recommendations he has an “open mind” about is a proposed Higher Education Future Fund. This would be funded by contributions by the federal government and universities and potentially support things like student housing or libraries.
While we don’t have many details yet, the accord report suggests richer universities would pay more than those with less. So far, it is standing out as one of the most contentious ideas proposed by the report. Or as Clare notes, some universities “hate” it.
Writing today, Gavin Moodie details the complexity of this idea, including how it sits with the push for more research funding for universities. “Asking universities to surrender some of their own funds for a communal fund seems to be inconsistent with other areas of the report,” he says.
On other parts of the report, we already have an answer. One of these is early university offers to Year 12 students. Over the weekend (before the report was actually released) Clare announced federal and state governments would take up the expert panel’s advice.
The report recommends these early offers are not made before September of the year before students begin their courses. It argues a very early offer could see students disengage from their studies.
Pearl Subban writes this may have an impact on those who do not perform as well under test conditions and those who also face other challenges in their life, such as poor mental health. As Subban says, “if equity is a priority, it may be wise to rethink early offers for some vulnerable students.”
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Judith Ireland
Education Editor
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Pearl Subban, Monash University
State and federal education ministers have agreed university offers should not be made to Year 12 students before September this year. Previously they have been made as early as March.
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Gavin Moodie, University of Toronto
The fund would be established with money from both the federal government and universities, until it was worth A$10 billion.
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Vincent Hurley, Macquarie University; Alex Simpson, Macquarie University
The alleged murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird have shone a spotlight on when, why are how police can access their firearms.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Today Scott Morrison gave his valedictory speech saying “thank you” to many people in and out of politics, and was very emotional at times.
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Timothy Weber, Australian National University; Andrew Blakers, Australian National University
Huge open-cut mining pits would be turned into reservoirs to hold water for renewable energy storage. It would give the sites a new lease on life and help shore up our low-emissions future.
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Stephen Hall, University of Bath
Most of Vladimir Putin’s opponents are either dead, in jail or in exile. But it might just be ordinary people who can take over the battle for democracy in Russia.
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Rosie Clare Shorter, Deakin University
A new biography tells the story of Hillsong and its leader Brian Houston. How did Hillsong come to dominate Australian Pentecostalism – and Australian Christianity? What can we learn from its decline?
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Alex Polyakov, The University of Melbourne
A recent ruling from the Supreme Court of Alabama implies frozen embryos are legally equivalent to living children. This creates risks for IVF providers, and therefore problems for patients.
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Sally O'Reilly, The Open University
If you fell in love with Dexter and Emma you are sure to do the same with the characters in these funny and moving tales of love.
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Politics + Society
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Kate Golebiowska, Charles Darwin University; Marta Pachocka, Warsaw School of Economics; Sabina Kubiciel-Lodzińska, Opole University of Technology
Polish public support for resettling Ukrainian refugees has slipped in recent months, while many new arrivals have had difficulty finding work that aligns with their qualifications.
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Health + Medicine
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Jan Dewar, Auckland University of Technology; Denise Wilson, Auckland University of Technology; Gail Pacheco, Auckland University of Technology; Lisa Meehan, Auckland University of Technology
Mandates were meant to ensure continuity of public services during the pandemic. But a new study suggests they had limited impact on vaccination rates, while significantly hurting careers and eroding trust.
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Lydia Brown, The University of Melbourne
A one-off trip to a day spa is unlikely to transform your mental health. But these expert tips might help you cut yourself some slack.
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Michael Baker, University of Otago; Amanda Kvalsvig, University of Otago; Matire Harwood, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
On the fourth anniversary of New Zealand’s first COVID case it’s clear this is not a normal pandemic. Despite fatigue and indifference, New Zealand must heed the evidence and improve its response.
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Science + Technology
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Alexander Mikheyev, Australian National University
Australia could still take action in the fight against Varroa that wasn’t possible elsewhere. But to do so, we need to fill urgent gaps in bee research.
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David Flannery, Queensland University of Technology
A private company has successfully delivered cargo to the Moon’s surface for the first time. Here’s what that means for future space exploration.
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Environment + Energy
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Rachel Baird, University of Tasmania; Natalie Stoeckl, University of Tasmania
In our market-driven world, calculating the economic value of the environment can be a useful tool in garnering support for environmental protection.
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Arts + Culture
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Charlotte Dunn, University of Tasmania
The ancient evidence suggests Alexander was particularly close with one of his male companions. But how close exactly?
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Maree Patsouras, La Trobe University; Amy Pennay, La Trobe University; Benjamin Riordan, La Trobe University; Emmanuel Kuntsche, La Trobe University
Research shows young people are increasingly rejecting alcohol, especially when compared to older generations. So why does alcohol retain a chokehold on our screens?
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Business + Economy
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Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
We really are being charged more than we used to be. If the government is concerned about price gouging, it could try this bold idea: offering its own low-cost bank loans.
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