National news briefs

International education earnings up again: UA The ABS International Goods and Services December 2008 trade data shows international education remained buoyant last year, increasing its earnings 27 per cent to $15.5 billion in 2008, according to Universities Australia. UA said the figures reconfirmed education as Australia’s third largest export industry behind coal and iron ore, and that education exports had been growing by an annual average of 15.7 per cent over the last decade - compared to 10.8 per cent across all exports. UA CEO Dr Glenn Withers said preliminary indications were that international student demand was strong in 2009, with applications increasing as in past financial downturns. He said that with commodity prices falling, it was an ideal time to invest in universities to support exports and assist economic recovery. UWA drops sexual harassment investigation Michael McAleer, professor of econometrics at UWA for the past 18 years, has resigned his position as part of a mediated settlement of a long-running investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him. McAleer, who denied the allegations, will head overseas to pursue other teaching commitments. In a statement, UWA said the terms of the agreement were confidential. The allegations date back to 2005, and have been the subject of Federal Court proceedings which resulted in UWA being ordered to pay McAleer $20,000 for breach of fairness and denial of natural justice. The court made no finding on the substance of the claims, which the university continued to investigate. This investigation has now ended in accordance with the terms of the settlement. The two women who were the sources of the allegations are not party to the settlement. Women outnumber men in our most-educated generation Australians aged between 20 and 39 are the most qualified generation in history, with one in four earning a bachelor degree or higher, according to 2006 census data. For the first time, women are more educated than men. The Australian statistician, Brian Pink, said higher education levels among women could soon see them earning as much as their male counterparts. Go to www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2070.0?OpenDocument UniSA secures lead role in population health research John Lynch, professor of epidemiology and population health at the University of South Australia, has been awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Fellowship worth $4 million over the next five years to develop an advanced research program in population health. He aims through his research to build better evidence for improving the health of the population in SA and nationally, with a particular focus on early life interventions for improved population health. He believes SA will evolve as one of a handful of places in the world where health researchers can work with program and service providers to develop scientifically innovative population health research platforms. Two new members for distance learning council The Australian Council on Open, Distance and E-learning, representing higher education providers engaged or interested in open, distance, flexible and e-learning, has signed the College of Law in Sydney and Sydney College of Divinity as affiliate members. Affiliate membership is open to non-university providers. ACODE now has 37 Australian, six New Zealand and one other university members, and eight non-university affiliates. VET and university pathways targeted in SA South Australia’s has stumped up $5.7 million for a three-year initiative to help schools better prepare students for life beyond school. The 64 programs in 55 schools fall within four categories: industry pathways, providing industry-endorsed training in skill shortage areas; maths and science, in which schools work with universities and industry to encourage participation in these subjects; literacy and numeracy; and the first generation program, which aims to help young people to become the first in their family to go to university. The funding complements the government’s move to increase the school leaving age to 17.