Response to the National Commission of Audit
Any Commission of Audit, including this one, cannot be considered a full reform agenda in its own right, although it may be informed by an underlying reform philosophy, as this one has been. A full...
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Renewing school federalism: getting the settings right
Riddled by unhelpful duplication, stagnating performance, growing inequities, poor investment and limited cooperation, schooling is often cited as an example of what is wrong with Australia’s federal...
View ArticleOn Allan Gyngell and the role of think tanks
We have just started the Mitchell Institute blog. It’s a place where we will share our ideas, express opinions, test thoughts about our emerging policy thinking and generally talk about the things...
View ArticleParticipation in tertiary education in Australia
Young Australians need access to affordable and high quality tertiary education to prepare for jobs of the future. Whether our tertiary education system can sustain, let alone improve participation...
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Why is childcare such a hard sell in the federal election?
Spending on early years education seems to be a tough sell for politicians. A significant number of Australians, both politicians and voters, see “childcare” as a service to help parents get back to...
View ArticleEducation data: harnessing the potential
There are too many questions in education that remain unanswered. This is holding us back from providing meaningful educational opportunities for all young people. Better education data would help...
View ArticleBetter data needed to stop young Australians missing out
A new paper by Mitchell Institute at Victoria University calls for better education data to shape policies that will make the most difference for young Australians. It finds that there is currently not...
View ArticleHigh-quality, affordable education at the heart of Labor’s new early years...
For too long, early years education policy has focused on the money, pigeonholed into a debate about “child care” and “mums getting back to work”, rather than a long-term investment in children’s...
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Can the government realistically cut funding by 20% for each student in...
Higher education policy is one of the biggest challenges facing the new federal government. The budget forward estimates show substantial savings from a 20% cut in the government subsidy per student....
View ArticleNAPLAN results don’t tell the full story behind Australia’s lack of education...
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results released on Wednesday show Australian students are making few gains in literacy and numeracy. National average performance...
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A new system for financing Australian tertiary education
Over the five years to November 2015, the majority of Australia’s employment growth was in occupations that require post-school qualifications through either university or vocational education and...
View ArticleExpert proposes new funding system for tertiary education
The latest report by Mitchell Institute at Victoria University proposes a new system to tackle some of the biggest funding problems in Australian tertiary education. Professor of Tertiary Education...
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Why we need an independent authority to oversee tertiary education
People without a tertiary education will be increasingly less able to participate in the future labour market. Over the five years to November 2015, the majority of Australia’s employment growth was in...
View ArticleResponse to Working Together to Shape Teacher Education in Victoria...
To improve these student outcomes, we need to further support and develop the teaching workforce. We need to focus on all teachers to develop the capabilities of young people. The Framework for...
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Placing a cap on teaching degrees doesn’t guarantee better teachers
The New South Wales Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, has floated the idea of placing a cap on teaching degrees. In an era of demand-driven higher education, where universities have the option of...
View ArticleChildren better off with two years of preschool
Two years of quality preschool gives children the best chance to thrive at school and later in life, according to a new report by Mitchell Institute at Victoria University. While Australia currently...
View ArticleTwo Years are Better Than One
Providing universal access to preschool programs for all 3 year old children is an achievable and desirable policy goal for Australia. With two thirds of 3 year olds accessing early education and care...
View ArticleTwo Years are Better Than One
Access to a high-quality preschool program is one of the few proven strategies for lifting outcomes for all children. Evidence shows that two years of preschool has more impact than one, especially for...
View ArticlePISA results reveal Australian students are still missing out
Latest PISA results show around 40 percent of Australian children are not meeting proficiency levels in science, maths and reading, and there are alarming education gaps across the country. Dr Bronwyn...
View ArticleTertiary participation in Australia
There is clear need for a longer term and more strategic approach to tertiary education policy and funding in Australia. One objective of Australia’s tertiary education policy is to increase...
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