Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic was “championing the nation’s extensive capability in medical science and biotechnology,” at a convention in San Diego this week, where he will surely have been top of the list of people to meet, for tech start-ups who only need a billion to turn an idea into a sure-thing.
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John Dewar retired as VC of La Trobe U in January but his gluttony for punishment remains– becoming Interim VC of Uni Wollongong, while the university recruits a continuing appointment. This is expected to take the rest of the year, which gives Professor Dewar plenty of time to meet the challenges he sets himself. “The pandemic tested our community’s resilience. The impact of the Australian government’s migration strategy is set to test our resilience once more. However, these changes also offer us an opportunity to sharpen our focus and to think strategically and innovatively about our work and our future.”
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Regulator TEQSA “requests” (which is a polite way of requiring) all HE providers to advise what they are doing to address the AI risk to “award integrity.” Good-o. Problem is that submissions will likely be out of date by the time they are filed, (the interactive verbal teaching function in Open AI’s GPT 4.0 is sooo last month). TEQSA worked long and hard to create legislation that uses the courts to stop contract cheating websites, which is now like prosecuting musket-makers when hypersonic missiles are on the market.
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Uni Wollongong ends free parking for vehicles with three and plus people, because of decreased demand. The present space is now for paid, (up to $9.60 a day for casual users). One way to deal with last year’s $15m underlying deficit.
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The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership gets as near as elephant stamp as the Australian National Audit Office issues. A new report on AITSL’s administration of national standards and frameworks records “largely effective,” “largely appropriate,” and “largely fit for purpose.” Not that the Institute can do a lot about a lot of things, given teacher registration and ITE accreditation are state and territory responsibilities.
“AITSL’s quality assurance arrangements for ITE are effective, but efforts to build on these have been limited. An effective approach to gain assurance about the ongoing currency and effectiveness of all agreed national standards and frameworks has not been established.”
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The National Health and Medical Research Council advises it has funding available for work on the Three Rs of research using animals, (“replace, reduce and refine.”) It follows the NHMRC forbidding researchers from using the “forced swim test” and “smoke inhalation procedures” with rats, (as awful as they sound) not far in front of the NSW Parliament passing a bill banning them.
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Open Access Australasia reports Chief Scientist Catherine Foley spoke about “her vision for open access” at an “open conversation” organised by the Council of Australian University Librarians. A recording will be circulated to CAUL members, appearing to indicate there is a limit to open access about open access.
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New TEQSA CEO Mary Russell promises the agency will have “a productive relationship” with in-the-offing Australian Tertiary Education Commission. Presumably, the agency will also get on well with other entities that will be involved in what was once its exclusive patch – notably the to be legislated student ombudsman and the “dedicated unit” in the Department of Education, which will enforce the proposed code to prevent and respond to gender based violence in universities (FC May 30). TEQSA will also have to make-nice with the lead voced agency for cross-sector cooperation, Jobs and Skills Australia.
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Department of Home Affairs reports show student visas issued for the 2023-24 financial year until the end of April are way down on comparable 2022-23. HE visas this year are 154 000 compared to 196,300 last. VET visas are 7600 this, compared to 18 100 last. The government will have to find another excuse for rental shortages than international student demand.
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The University of Adelaide broke even in 2023, reporting an underlying consolidated result of $5m (0.05 per cent) on revenues of $1.33bn. This was marginally down on 2022’s underlying result of $13.5m, a 1.3 per cent return on $1.007bn.
Student fee income was up 10 per cent on 2022, to $327m, ahead of Commonwealth funding (ex research) of $313m.
Increased staff costs accounted for $62m of the total $98m increase in outlays. Planning for the merger with Uni SA set Adelaide U back $17m.
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Deakin U announces a further three years for the long-running partnership with Geelong Football Club (go Cats!). It’s one of three sports sponsorships with Melbourne netball and basketball teams. Deakin U is an “elite partner” of GFC’s male team, a “co-major partner” of the women team and “naming rights partner” of the Deakin Cats Community Centre. Which could well be a bunch of branding for DU’s sponsorship dollar. Or not – there is no word in the university’s 2023 annual report, on how much or where it comes from. Perhaps out of the $5.587m spent last year on advertising, promotions and marketing from the consolidated account. Or maybe it was in the $20.816m communications budget. FC asked the university what the outlay was but copped a no comment, “for commercial reasons” which can mean whatever Deakin U does not want revealed. This raises a question, if Deakin U considers the sponsorship good for the university why won’t it state the value for money?
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There’s not much to discuss about the Department of Education’s “issues paper” for a national higher education code to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (FC May 30) what with recruitment underway for somebody to run the unit that will enforce it. “The National Code will be a new approach to regulation for the higher education sector,” the recruitment pitch states. Indeed it is, with the regulating unit to take “an outcomes and risk-based approach to monitoring, assessment and enforcement for compliance when a serious issue is identified.” The code applies from next year, with compliance commencing in January 2026.
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The relocation of Uni Tasmania from Sandy Bay to the city will continue, accept the bits that won’t, maybe. State minister for a bunch of stuff (not including education) Madeleine Ogilvie wants to “deliver an uplift” for STEM at Sandy Bay, and VC Rufus Black tells ABC Radio in Hobart “if that is where it lands, we will work with that.” And no, it’s not a problem that the university owns site for STEM in the CBD, which Professor Black, says is “really great asset” now being used for car parking for other uni sites in the city. No faulting him for working with whatever he gets.
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The Bureau of Stats reports that in 2022-23 private tertiary education revenue was $13bn – which will be as good as it gets for as long as the Commonwealth Government cuts international student numbers.
