By Paul Kniest. The ability of deregulated markets to efficiently and equitably allocate vocational education and training (VET) places in Australia has been on trial since the Brumby Labor Government in Victoria introduced its Securing Jobs for the Future policy in 2008. The policy entitled most students to government support (entitlement or demand driven system) and made all registered VET providers (public and private) eligible for government subsidies (fully contestable funding model). More...

By Paul Kniest. It was 3.30pm on Monday 14 September 2015 when Jeannie Rea, Rachael Bahl and Paul Kniest, representing NTEU, sat down for a meeting with Senator Glenn Lazarus in his Parliament office to discuss higher education policy. Reflecting on what were generally considered little more than rumours we jokingly asked whether Tony Abbott was still Prime Minister and were assured by a jocular response that nothing was likely to happen on that front anytime soon. More...

By Terri Macdonald. It is something that everyone working in the higher education sector has known about for years – that the levels of insecure employment have been increasing. More...

By Terri Macdonald. While the NTEU has long held concerns around the gender pay gap and the impact on women, the greatest issue for women working in higher education is insecure employment and its impact on superannuation.  While our universities are highly casualised already, the levels are in an upwards trend, and staff employed in non secure modes of employment are not entitled to the same levels of employer paid superannuation as their permanent colleagues. This has a profound impact on their capacity for savings, particularly when many who are employed either as casual or contract staff are long term employees. More...

By Paul Clifton. There is much concern across the Pacific rim about the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) upon public education. The secretive trade agreement involves a dozen nations across the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, and Indonesia may soon join. More...

By Paul Clifton. Yet how quickly we were disappointed to see that, in order for Turnbull to get the keys of the Lodge, a deal had been made with the conservative gatekeepers of the Liberal Party and the policy status quo would remain the same. If it works, Direct Action will provide a paltry five per cent cut in Australia’s carbon emissions by 2020. More...