On 1 June 2023 some 3 million Australians, owing over $74 billion, had their outstanding student loan debt increased by 7.1%. It comes as average loan debts have increased over the decade to 2021–22 from $15,200 to $24,800 (derived from Table 6). The high rate of indexation this year has led to calls for change by the Greens and the crossbench, while the Opposition has called for ‘urgent action’ to address the issue. So how did we get here? Read more...
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is one of the longest-established parts of the Australian Government’s funding system for universities. Recently, however, the independence of the ARC’s decision-making process has been questioned by some in the research community. The issue has been considered by a Senate committee, and concerns have been raised by the Group of Eight (Go8) universities (that received around two-thirds of ARC grant funding in 2020), and a leading international scientific journal, Nature. This FlagPost explores the role of the ARC and recent changes to its remit, as well as explaining the legislative basis for, and ... Read more...
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