Senator Bridget McKenzie and the Australian Science Teachers Association will launch Science ASSIST, a free national science resource, on November 12th at Parliament House, Canberra. Science ASSIST directly addresses a gap in the provision of crucial safety and support information for science teachers and school laboratory technicians, which has been recognised by the Office of…
DetailsChristopher Pyne is out to break one of the longest spells of ineffectiveness that any Australian political party has ever had in a key policy area. When Federal Parliament resumes sitting next week he will attempt to pass his higher education reforms through the Senate. If he succeeds, the Abbott government will be the first…
DetailsSchool-leaver applications for university in 2015 are up by 2 per cent on last year, a figure hailed by Education Minister Christopher Pyne as evidence the Labor and union scare campaign about $100,000 university fees is failing. “Students are still lining up for the benefits and satisfaction of a tertiary education,” Mr Pyne will tell…
DetailsELEANOR HALL: The Federal Government appears confident that it will seal a free trade agreement with China by the time president Xi Jinping arrives in Australia for the G20 summit later this week. The Australian and Chinese leaders are meeting in Beijing today at APEC. Australia's Trade Minister says the deal is within “striking distance,”…
DetailsTHE Abbott Government has been told by one of its own senators to tweak higher education reforms to make sure a university education was still accessible for as many people as possible. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie chairs a parliamentary committee that wants the government to give regional universities more help and change its plans to…
DetailsA stronger scholarship system would help poorer students. Gough Whitlam's death focused attention on his decision to abolish university fees. But, far from opening the door to people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the share of students from families in the bottom socioeconomic quarter remained static at about 16 per cent after 1974. The sons and daughters…
DetailsBY Katina Curtis The Abbott government has been told by one of its own senators to tweak higher education reforms to make sure a university education is still accessible for as many people as possible. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie chairs a parliamentary committee that wants the government to give regional universities more help and change…
DetailsGough Whitlam’s vision of free university education was affordable when only about 5 per cent of the population was going to higher education. But with the proportion now close to 40 per cent, changes being put to Parliament by Education Minister Christopher Pyne are essential to maintain a high-quality university system open to all Australians.…
DetailsA future with choice is better than a present facing a decline in public funding. This is a crucial week for Australia. At stake is whether a viable higher education system can endure. Though much rhetoric focuses on the Whitlam promise of free higher education, the present system was established by the Hawke government from…
DetailsThe Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee's report into the Government's higher education reforms is now available. The report broadly supports the reforms after extensive consultation with higher education and other stakeholders. For details, visit: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/Higher_Education/Report
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