Opinion
‘Kim there's people that are dying’.
We all know the moment – Kim Kardashian ugly crying after losing her brand new diamond earrings in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas. Her sister Kourtney wryly looks on, before delivering her iconic quip.
I like to come back to that moment often, not just because I think Kim Kardashian’s ‘ugly crying face’ is objectively hilarious, but because I think Kourtney makes a good point. It is a reminder to all of us to spend less time stressing about the little things that are miniscule in the grand scale of things, and more time thinking about the bigger issues that pervade our society and the concrete actions we can take towards change.
So, you can imagine exactly what was going through my head earlier at the end of last month, when against the backdrop of the beginning of World War 3, the opposition began their campaign to ‘ban universities from doing group projects’.
As a university student myself with a fair share of group projects under my belt, I have had the unfortunate displeasure of experiencing the trials and tribulations of a group project.
There are few things more horrifying than a Semester-long group project that will form a significant percentage of your grade, usually with strangers who have no intention of pulling their weight.
However, as the daughter of an academic that has spent twenty years teaching in tertiary institutions (thanks mum!), I also know that group projects exist for a reason. I know from her that academics despise group projects almost as much as we, the students, do – there are so many more administrative hurdles and the inevitable requirement to wade into the interpersonal conflicts of eighteen-year-olds at the eleventh hour of the assignment.
I remember passionately complaining about the real evils of group projects in first year, particularly after my friend had logged onto the submission portal, only to realise her work had been submitted yet her name had been omitted! With a wry look, reminiscent of Kourtney Kardashian, my mum reminded me that these experiences of group conflict are not exclusive to university group projects. Let’s be honest here – the story of the group project with one person doing all the work at the last minute, or someone taking credit from another team member sound suspiciously familiar to the ‘real world’; the place that universities are supposed to prepare us for. This is why despite all the challenges of group projects, they continue to persist and plague us all, students and teachers alike.
We can’t complain that our educational institutions focus too much on ‘isms and ologies’ we will never actually use and that they are not doing enough to prepare us for ‘real life’, when we complain and whinge about the little they actually do to help us achieve this goal. And unfortunately, this includes the necessary evil of group projects.
Most jobs are one long group project, working in layers and levels of teams. In fact, most selection criteria for graduate roles specifically mentions the ability to work collaboratively in groups.
Of course, universities should implement safeguards to protect students from the challenges that emerge from group projects such as peer reviews or individual marking; but getting rid of group projects altogether is irresponsible and foolish.
The thing that shocked me most about this discussion or ‘policy announcement’, though, wasn’t my personal feelings or views on the issue. Rather, it was why exactly the Shadow Minister of Education, Julian Leeser, felt the need to wade into this debate.
‘Kim, there are people that are dying’.
There are so many issues affecting young Australians today. We face a future where housing is unaffordable, the same politicians who went to university for free are indexing our HECS debts to the ceiling, entry level jobs are no longer guaranteed by a tertiary degree but rather taken over by AI, and many students are working multiple jobs alongside full time studies in the struggle to survive in this economy. The world is descending into wars, geopolitical rulebooks have been thrown out the window, and everyday Australians are losing their passion, hope and excitement for a better future.
Instead of courting the youth vote and making overtures to regain a younger voter base by addressing the issues that actually matter with concrete policy positions or even discussing the real challenges that exist within the higher education sector, is the embattled Federal Opposition really spending their time, money and media airwaves on ‘university group projects’?
At best, it’s a cheap way to get votes and start a conversation without doing any real work. At worst, it’s a sign and symptom of the true depth and breadth of the ignorance of the opposition towards the concerns of the real, everyday young Australians.
It’s important to note here that I am not coming at this issue from a partisan perspective. Rather than voting blue, red, green or otherwise, at this moment, I care about the health of our democracy. I truly believe that a strong and flourishing opposition is critical to the strength of any democracy, and particularly ours. Without the opposition, who is going to debate policies and issues? Who will hold the government to account?
Who will pressure the government to consider other ways of working or points of view?
It is no secret that the Federal Opposition has had a turbulent couple of years. They have seemingly lost touch with the people they are supposed to represent. It is March of 2026 now, meaning that there are only two more years left until the next federal election. As someone who believes in protecting the Australian democracy – here is my sincere request to the opposition and its leaders.
Forget about the ‘diamond earrings’, the small, sparkly and flashy, and instead pay attention to the waning hopes and dreams of all the Australians, young and old, who are doing it tough.
Ahelee Rahman is a student at the University of Melbourne.