Category: Australian University

Man on Murder Charge After Foreign Student Dies in Australia

A 29-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a Bangladeshi student during a break-in at a Darwin property, with the death prompting an outpouring of condolences as it shocked the university and wider communities. Md Ishaqur Rahman Sifat, 23, who was enrolled in a masters of engineering course at Charles Darwin University, was…


‘Free’ University: A Socialist Fantasy

Commentary The Albanese Labor government is preparing to forge a new relationship with the university sector—the “Universities Accord.” An education commentator, Gavin Moodie, has argued that there is a tenuous relationship “between university staff and many of their managements that they regard as exploitative” and “between students and universities that they see as driven to maximise…


Australian University Faces Legal Action for Allegedly Underpaying Staff

An Australian University is facing further legal action over allegedly underpaying casual staff and making false or misleading records. The Fair Work Ombudsman announced on Feb. 10 that it had commenced legal action against The University of Melbourne over what the watchdog describes as “serious contraventions” of the Fair Work Act. The Ombudsman alleges the…


University Newspaper Critized For Publishing Shoplifting Guide To Address Cost of Living Crisis

A student magazine in Australia has faced criticism after publishing a guide on how to shoplift, which it claimed would help students cope with the rising costs of living. University of Queensland’s independent student publication Semper Floreat included a manual in its print and online edition on Sep. 3 on “free shopping,” which it shortened…


University Newspaper Criticized For Publishing Shoplifting Guide To Address Cost of Living Crisis

A student magazine in Australia has faced criticism after publishing a guide on how to shoplift, which it claimed would help students cope with the rising costs of living. University of Queensland’s independent student publication Semper Floreat included a manual in its print and online edition on Sep. 3 on “free shopping,” which it shortened…


Education Union Press for Gender Affirmation Leave at Tasmanian University

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS) are “locked in a battle” after UTAS declined to comply with the union’s request to provide up to 30 days’ leave for transgender staff. The university currently offers 10 days of special leave for their staff irrespective of their gender, however, the NTEU…


Government Should Not Fund Australia Universities to Create More Places: Academic

A distinguished scholar has advised the Australian government against giving the country’s 38 public universities more money to expand the number of places and instead suggested that improving the management of universities’ funding would be a “cost-effective” way to tackle the problem. Salvatore Babones, an Adjunct Scholar at the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) and…


The Dreadful Toll of Campus Injustice in Australia

Commentary A few years ago, an engaging young overseas-trained doctor arrived in one of Australia’s biggest cities to do post-graduate research. He was a popular and confident student, soon appointed to leadership roles at the university college where he was staying, thrilled to be part of its student community. A photo of him taken a…


All Australian Universities Have Now Adopted Free Speech Code

All Australian universities have now adopted policies to strengthen and protect free speech on campus, two years after the recommendation was made. University chancellors have also agreed to publicly report on how they are upholding academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus on an annual basis from 2021. Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge said…


COVID Could Force Australian Universities Into Bankruptcy If Sector Does Not Evolve: EY Report

Australia’s higher education institutes need to reinvent themselves to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, a consultancy group has declared. The EY consultancy group predicted that by 2030 the Australian university sector would face a $5 billion (US$ 3.656 billion) to $6 billion (US$ 4.278 billion) revenue decline and a 50 percent cut of non-research positions, forcing…