Opinion
The hollow promise of job-ready uni graduate funding
Universities and students have been short-changed by the federal government’s reformed funding model, argues Mark Warburton.
Opinion
Universities and students have been short-changed by the federal government’s reformed funding model, argues Mark Warburton.
News
Premier Steven Marshall says he’s hopeful that international students will return to South Australia next month, as he and the Opposition traded barbs over his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has told an Adelaide audience that the government backs the return of Chinese students to Australian universities, following questions about the impact of fraught diplomatic relations and the financial hit from the pandemic and closed borders.
Australian universities are so dependent on international students for cash that if only one if five don’t re-enrol this year, many institutions will be in serious trouble with impacts on staff and research, writes Omer Yezdani.
Australia’s universities are warning further job losses are on the horizon after more than 17,000 people in the sector were left unemployed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Australian universities have come to rely not only on international students, but high levels of casual staff. Many claim they are systemically underpaid, with some institutions under audit for wage theft more akin to the hospitality industry. Damien Cahill argues that ending exploitation and putting staff back on the books should be part of the sector’s recovery.
Universities across Australia are increasingly setting up in CBDs, with federal government funding tied to a wider policy of revitalising cities. But sacrificing space and amenity for vertical expansion often isn’t a great deal for students, research or the university’s bottom line, argues Geoff Hanmer.
