Full fee places: Labor refocuses its priorities

The government is backing away from its commitment to address national priority areas through the 11,000 Commonwealth-supported places (CSPs) which will replace full-fee domestic undergraduate places, according to an education department document.

UWA to appeal epic IP case

The University of Western Australia will appeal against a Federal Court decision that found in favour of an academic, Dr Bruce Gray, effectively allowing him to retain ownership of intellectual property for inventions developed while he was an employee...

Carr proposes research ombudsman

Innovation minister Kim Carr is reviewing the adequacy of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research - less than a year after the latest revision was released - and is floating the idea of establishing a research ombudsman's office.

Full fee phase-out foments foreboding

The Rudd Government brings down its first budget this week. And while the higher education community doesn't expect any windfalls like last year's $6 billion Higher Education Endowment Fund splurge, there's confidence that the government will meet its...

Clearing the mess away

During the past few months Australia's skill shortages have attracted a range of proposed policy responses, with two in particular attracting national media attention.

So much for Melbourne, here comes the Macquarie Model

Macquarie University has released its latest blueprint as it stakes its ground to be NSW's American-style university, putting it in the same corner as the University of Melbourne and possibly UWA.

Breakaway summiteers demand their voices be heard

Nine members of the rural industries and rural communities stream of the 2020 Summit have written to the Prime Minister with a list of proposals which they say were not properly represented in the summing up by chair Tim Fischer or the interim report.

NLC campaigns on safety

A national safety awareness campaign for international students, launched by the National Liaison Committee for International Students, hopes to make international students more aware of a range of issues that put them at risk, from swimming in the...

Internships would tackle employability skills head on

A national internship scheme would provide an avenue to link study with relevant workplace skills, be a source of income to cash-strapped students and provide skills-strapped businesses with a stream of much needed staff.

Matters for consideration

The challenge for the government's Review of Australian Higher Education, chaired by Professor Denise Bradley, is to propose a coherent model for a future higher education system that will be robust for one to two decades rather than three to five years.

Let the market decide

Instead of abolishing full fees for domestic undergraduates, the government should move in the opposite direction and get rid of pricing restraints, according to a research fellow with the Centre for Independent Studies.

World-class classrooms

In its 2007 report on teacher education, a House of Representatives standing committee said: "It is important to state that the teacher education system is not in crisis."

TTCs expand their boundaries

TAFEs, Australian technical colleges and other VET providers are likely to share in the federal government's $2.5 billion Trade Training Centres in Schools program, the recent Vocational Skills for Youth forum in Hobart was told.

Developing a productive workforce

There is increasing pressure on the VET sector to assist industry with workforce development issues such as how to skill and retain apprentices and increase the productivity of all staff. If the VET sector is to develop these new capabilities in...

Planning for uncertainty

We should all be better prepared to expect the unexpected. Uncertainty, we are told, is central to human life and decision-making from planning for climate change to making decisions about daily activities. That's the view of a team of Australian...