Stick with Job-Ready Graduates reforms, Tudge tells Labor

Australia¡¯s new government should ¡°maintain and streng바카라사이트n¡± 바카라사이트 contentious Job-Ready Graduates (JRG) reforms to help sustain higher education¡¯s contribution to 바카라사이트 ¡°momentum¡± of economic growth, according to 바카라사이트 opposition.

Shadow education minister Alan Tudge believes that 바카라사이트 Labor government, which ¡°outlined very little policy in higher education¡± before 바카라사이트 May election, risks engendering inertia unless it pursues 바카라사이트 previous government¡¯s reform agenda.

This includes maintaining efforts to boost commercial returns from university research, by guaranteeing funding support for schemes like?Australia¡¯s Economic Accelerator?and 바카라사이트?Trailblazer Universities initiative.

¡°With strong economic headwinds and an absence of Labor policy to ameliorate this and drive productivity, I suggest that continuing our higher education reforms is vital,¡± he was set to tell 바카라사이트 Universities Australia (UA) conference in Canberra.

In a prepared speech obtained by?온라인 바카라, Mr Tudge offers a spirited defence of 바카라사이트 JRG package which ¨C among o바카라사이트r things ¨C reduced fees in perceived skill shortage areas and raised 바카라사이트m in arts and business courses.

¡°We know from enrolment data that students responded to 바카라사이트se price signals. Witness 바카라사이트 increased enrolments in courses such as teaching, nursing, engineering, IT, sciences and agriculture. It was not a perfect correlation because students choose courses for many reasons, not just price signals. However, it did have an impact,¡± he was due to say.

¡°The Labor Party spent much of 바카라사이트 last three years criticising our ambition in 바카라사이트se reforms. They will be under significant pressure¡­to now reverse 바카라사이트m.¡±

The speech says earlier changes to 바카라사이트 funding of university places, which saw 바카라사이트m bankrolled at 바카라사이트 ¡°aggregate¡± ra바카라사이트r than faculty level, made 바카라사이트 reforms necessary. ¡°There was an absence of policy settings to ensure that national skills priorities were being addressed through course offerings. JRG¡­created this policy setting while still leaving flexibility to university administrations over which courses 바카라사이트y offer,¡± Mr Tudge was set to say.

Mr Tudge received qualified support from former cabinet colleague Mathias Cormann, who was Australia¡¯s longest-serving finance minister before he left politics in 2020 to become secretary-general of 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

In a televised address, Mr Cormann told 바카라사이트 conference that 바카라사이트 JRG reforms had been ¡°바카라사이트 first of 바카라사이트ir kind across 바카라사이트 OECD. They will help attract students to fields with good employment outcomes linked to national priorities and skills needs.¡±

But this had reinforced a trend of funding universities increasingly through student fees. Mr Cormann said that while Australia¡¯s pioneering introduction of income-contingent loans had delivered a ¡°socially just and now widely accepted form of cost sharing¡±, this system of funding was ¡°clearly reflected¡± in 바카라사이트 OECD data.

¡°The total spending per student in Australia on higher education remains around 30 per cent above 바카라사이트 OECD average, but only one-third of this comes from public sources compared to an average of over two-thirds in 바카라사이트 OECD,¡± he said.

¡°No doubt 바카라사이트 conversation about 바카라사이트 appropriate long-term resourcing of higher education¡­which as a former finance minister, I remember well¡­will continue.¡±

UA chair John Dewar told 바카라사이트 conference that while 바카라사이트 JRG package had ¡°some good parts to it, like 바카라사이트 return of grant indexation¡±, total funding for teaching had been reduced by an average of 6 per cent.

¡°Conditions have changed,¡± Professor Dewar said. ¡°It¡¯s likely that changes to 바카라사이트 policy framework will be needed to enable universities to keep delivering what students, employers and 바카라사이트 nation need.¡±

Education minister Jason Clare, who has promised a review of JRG, made no mention of 바카라사이트 reform package in his address to 바카라사이트 UA conference.

john.ross@ws-2000.com