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Australian Political Structure
Australia is a federation of relatively independent states (now six states and two territories.)
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The Australian Federation
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Snapshot of Higher Education in Australia
Post-secondary education in Australia is divided into:
University entrance is based primarily on a state-by-state end-of-school assessment system (examinations/assignments) leading to a nation-wide Tertiary Education Ranking (TER).
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Establishment of Universities
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Post-World War II
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The Beginning of Government Influence
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Yet Another Committee
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Sectoral Growth
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The 1980s Revolution.
By the mid-1980s the sector was under stress:
In 1987 the Commonwealth government produced a discussion (Green) paper and in 1988 a White Paper leading to a complete restructure of the sector.
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Elements of the 1988 Revolution
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Paying For It - The Return of Fees
By the mid-1980s the cost of higher education was seen by the government to be too great a burden, given the increased participation.
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International Students
The first major involvement with international students was the Colombo Plan (1951-1982) in which students from Asian countries with limited tertiary facilities received scholarships to study in Australia. Many attended UNSW and Monash in particular.
As the Colombo Plan wound down, a system of Student Visas was introduced. These were about $A6,000/year, and students were treated as though they were locals for places in institutions.
In 1989, the Student Visa system was replaced by a system of "full fees" for non-local students, and no effective limits were placed on student numbers.
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International Students
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A System in Crisis
Despite, or because of the massive growth in the higher education sector, there is a general view that all is not well:
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The Current Debate
In 2001 the (now opposition) Labor Party attempted to make education a major political issue with a "Knowledge Nation" policy statement which committed to greater funding (and possibly higher taxes to fund it.)
In April 2002 the Commonwealth initiated a major review of higher education policy "Higher Education at the Crossroads":
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The Current Debate (cont..)
Policy issues which are emerging are:
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Further Issues:
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Meeting Industry's Needs
There is no attempt in Australia to "manage" higher education output according to predictions of industry needs.
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The Future
It is difficult to see the ultimate outcome of the debate, subsequent policy and actual implementation. The clear signals from the Commonwealth is they want a continued lowering in fiscal responsibility for higher education. However:
It is reasonable to expect that greater differentiation will emerge. This is being strongly supported by the larger older universities (known as the "Sandstones", the "Great Eight" or the "Gang of Eight", which carry considerable influence.
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References
There is a mass of material, but the most relevant recent references are: