Category Archives: Education

Toowoomba very reliant on education sector – risk from higher ed reform

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Gene Tunny

An article in the Toowoomba Chronicle has reminded me just how significant the University of Southern Queensland has been to Toowoomba’s economic development and prosperity, and the USQ Vice-Chancellor is certainly right to be concerned about potential higher education policy … Continue reading →

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Commonwealth should give up student target – big savings possible from higher ed reform

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Commonwealth is projected to spend over $10 billion on higher education by 2016-17 according to the 2013-14 Budget papers (see chart above). Hence it’s unsurprising the Government is looking at savings in this area, as reported in the Australian … Continue reading →

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Long-term education target unlikely to be met – haven’t we learned from previous unachievable targets?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The National Plan for School Improvement released with the 2013-14 Commonwealth Budget has the potential to signficantly lift educational outcomes across Australia and is therefore one of the positives of this Budget. But I’m skeptical of the Government’s stated ambition … Continue reading →

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Uni not essential for success, but on average uni graduates do better

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Gene Tunny

I’m disappointed news.com.au tonight features the really silly headline “Four reasons you should bypass uni”, under photos of Mark Zuckerberg, Steven Spielberg, Ellen DeGeneres and Richard Branson. Sure, you can be hugely successful without going to university, if you work incredibly … Continue reading →

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How were job losses shared across Qld Government agencies?

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Gene Tunny

An article in the Financial Review this morning (Government jobs growth masks softer employment market) prompted me to examine the Queensland public service data more closely. Given the significant Queensland public service (QPS) job cuts over the last nine months, … Continue reading →

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GFC-induced frugality hasn’t stopped drift to private schools

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Gene Tunny

In the wake of the financial crisis, Australians started saving more (see my post Retail trade restrained by stubbornly high saving rate), but it appears they are still willing to spend money on a private school education for their children. … Continue reading →

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Government commits to much needed reform of training system

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Gene Tunny

I’m very pleased the Newman Government has embraced the recommendations of the Skills and Training Taskforce to rationalise the TAFE system and introduce much greater contestability of funding (Government response to Skills and Training Taskforce final report): The Government response … Continue reading →

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Cost of schooling will keep increasing under current model

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Gene Tunny

It’s no surprise to see another report on escalating private school fees (Queensland private schools announce fee hikes of up to 7 per cent for 2013), given that, under the traditional schooling model, the potential for productivity gains in schools … Continue reading →

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Better late than never for TAFE rationalisation

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Gene Tunny

It’s long been recognised by observers of our education system that Queensland TAFEs are under-utilised and that many of them are sitting on valuable land that would fetch a high price from developers. Hence I’m glad to see the Brisbane … Continue reading →

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Grattan Institute calls for uni course subsidy review

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Andrew Norton, formerly attached to the Centre for Independent Studies, is now at the Grattan Institute and is continuing to produce hard-hitting reports on our generously subsidised university system, with his latest called Graduate Winners. Andrew is one of Australia’s … Continue reading →

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