Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2023, vote on the Indigenous voice to parliament: Latest rundown of higher education
Our Chief Executive Catriona Jackson 's message
We are fast approaching the end of the year, yet there is no slowdown in sight. Parliament’s return next week is expected to see the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023 debated in the Senate.
The Bill, if passed, will give effect to some of the priority actions announced through the Australian Universities Accord interim report, including abolishing the punitive 50 per cent pass rule introduced under the Job-ready Graduates package and delivering demand-driven funding for all Indigenous students, regardless of where they live.
We have long advocated for these initiatives on your behalf and will be closely monitoring the Bill’s passage next week.
Another initiative we are eagerly awaiting the release of is the government’s new migration strategy, expected before the end of the year. In relation to this, I read with interest a piece in The Australian this week regarding international education and its value to the nation.
In highlighting that our sector is worth a great deal more to the economy than what the export revenue figures show (through taxes paid by students who stay on as skilled migrants), the piece warns that our inability to retain more of the graduates we educate risks becoming Australia’s Achilles heel.
The government has an opportunity in designing Australia’s new migration strategy to avoid this pitfall, which would be detrimental to our universities and the nation.
Writing in The Australian Financial Review last week, I reiterated our sector’s view that Australia is worse off for this self-inflicted brain drain and how the new strategy is a chance to reset our visa rules to attract and retain more of the skilled people our nation needs.
In other news, last week we farewelled Professor Peter Dawkins AO as Acting Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia . Under Professor Dawkins’ leadership, JSA has been established under a true tripartite model which will ensure universities and vocational education and training providers are working in partnership with government to get the best results.
Professor Dawkins has long championed the importance of strong links between our vocational and higher education systems. We thank him for his strong leadership of the new agency which is important for the sector.
We will continue to work closely with JSA and new Acting Commissioner Mr David Turvey and look forward to the announcement of a permanent Commissioner soon.
The UA Board met yesterday, and I am pleased to share that Professor Carolyn Evans has agreed to step into the role of Lead Vice-Chancellor for Safety and Wellbeing. This is a key step in our continued response to the serious societal issue of sexual harm. The Board wholeheartedly endorsed Professor Evans’ appointment at yesterday's meeting.
Behind the scenes at UA, preparation is well underway for next year’s annual conference. This is a significant undertaking, and I look forward to sharing with you further detail in the coming weeks around the exciting new direction of our 2024 sector showcase.
On a final note, tomorrow Australians will vote on the Indigenous voice to parliament. Many of your institutions have played an active role in developing resources and promoting sector-wide discussion on this important topic through the different stages of the referendum. This goes to the core of our mission in higher education – to educate and inform individuals and communities and to facilitate debate on matters of national significance.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Adelaide for our next Plenary in a few weeks’ time.
Until next time,
Catriona Jackson
Chief Executive, Universities Australia
PARLIAMENTARY UPDATES
GRANTS, FUNDING AND OPPORTUNITIES
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CHIEF ECONOMIST’S UPDATE
In India, the latest IMF forecasts suggest that recourses available for investing in international education (among other things) will continue to grow relatively quickly. India’s economy, as a share of the world economy, is expected to grow from 3.6 per cent to 4.4 per cent between now and 2028. China’s economy is also expected to expand as a share of the world economy.
There may be opportunities where we have not previously sourced many international students, but where strong growth is expected, including parts of emerging Asia and Africa. For example, Nigeria’s economy is about the size of the Philippines’, and is expected to grow by 75 per cent over the next five years. Nigeria has 4.4 million 18-year-olds (double the number in the Philippines), yet only 2,500 students have so far come to study in Australia this year.
MEDIA UPDATE
The UA media team continues to underpin the delivery of policy initiatives with strategic media and communications engagement activities. Our activity over the last fortnight has generated over 430 media items with a potential audience reach of more than 11 million people across online, print, radio and television platforms.
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