While COVID-19 does not discriminate, it will be Australia’s poor, homeless, people with disabilities and the socially marginalised who will be affected the most by the economic fallout. That’s the prediction of Professor Sharon Friel, director of the Menzies Centre ...
More »State and territory governments throw a lifeline to help international students
Universities Australia has welcomed recent moves by Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia to support international students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This support builds on initiatives already rolled out by Tasmania, the Northern Territory and South Australia. However, conspicuously absent ...
More »University regulator releases program to help institutions migrate entirely to online learning
Australia’s university regulator, Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA), has released a resource to assist universities fully migrate to online learning, particularly independent providers. According to TEQSA, the program has been developed to “assist the sector’s rapid transition to ...
More »Struggling international VET students in QLD receive generous community help during tough times
TAFE Queensland has reported that the sector has been inundated with support for international students doing it tough, establishing both a donation line and food banks at campuses. Such donations aim to alleviate the harmful financial impact COVID-19 has had on ...
More »New report indicates pandemic could decimate our university sector and bruise the broader economy
A new report by education policy think tank Mitchell Institute at Victoria University shows the university sector could expect to lose up to $19 billion over the next three years due to a dearth of international student revenue caused by ...
More »Not the time to ‘grab more cash’: Independent education’s peak body welcomes relief amid COVID-19 fallout
The Australian Government has decided to set aside fees and charges from Australia’s two regulatory bodies for the independent education sector and suspend tax paid on independent student sector loans. The move comes after strong advocacy by the Independent Tertiary ...
More »No ‘Year 13’ as unis develop alternative assessments for next year’s intake
Education Minister Dan Tehan has made an assurance that all Australian students will graduate with an ATAR this year, despite the multitude of disruptions and uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the decision to not entertain a Year ...
More »Universities help COVID-19 castaways as education minister says there’ll be no emergency funding
Seven universities belonging to the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) group have committed to supporting students through the COVID-19 crisis by offering food packages, emergency cash and fee waivers. This comes as other universities across Australia implement similar support packages for ...
More »Universities Australia says government support needed to ensure sector is part of national recovery
The ability of Australia’s 39 universities to assist in national recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic will be compromised without government support, Universities Australia says. UA’s chief executive Catriona Jackson said the university sector and the government have been “working closely” ...
More »We’re all in this together: five expert ideas for government and community to tackle COVID-19
Experts from Sydney University's Sydney Policy Lab and University College London argue that government decisions and technical developments alone are not enough to eliminate or even curb the COVID-19 pandemic. “Debate has raged as to the extent of social distancing ...
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