Exclusive: education department figures reveal the private schools received about $767m in government money amid a public schools funding shortfall
Australia’s 100 wealthiest schools had a combined income of $4.8bn in 2021, data reveals, as calls grow for the federal government to urgently address inequity in the education system.
About $767m of that income came from government funding; the rest from fees, private contributions and donations.
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‘A ceasefire is where we need to get to,’ Zoe Daniel says
Asked by RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas if she supports calls for a ceasefire, Zoe Daniel says:
If you call for a ceasefire, you’re letting down the Jewish community, if you don’t you’re allowing death and destruction to happen in Gaza.
At the end of the day, if I say to you right now, yes, I support ceasefire, that will make zero difference to what is happening in in Gaza.
I’m a former foreign correspondent. I know the logistics of this, of course, a ceasefire is where we need to get to, but you have a terrorist organisation in the middle of this. If there’s just a ceasefire, and there’s no capacity there to try to dismantle Hamas, does that allow Hamas to regroup? What does that actually lead to? That said, I’ve said to you before, very clearly, and I still stick to the position that the Israeli government has to adhere to international law and the rules of war, and I think, in some ways, has not been.
Continue reading...Study of students finds marked drop from Year 7 to Year 9 in proportion of those willing to intervene
Chanel Contos, a sexual consent education advocate, says teenagers may be getting so desensitised to porn that it’s affecting their reaction to sexual harassment, with research suggesting male students become less likely to intervene when a female classmate is targeted as they reach Year 9.
The study of Victorian school students by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (Anrows), released on Wednesday, found that 20.2% of Year 7 boys intended to intervene when sexual harassment was taking place. However, just 12.8% of those in Year 9 shared that attitude.
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Rowland: ‘consumers were clearly frustrated with lack of information’ over outage
Rowland says the key issue of the Optus outage was “getting some more understanding of the nature of the problem”. She tells ABC TV:
I made it clear from the outset that consumers were clearly frustrated with the lack of information. Australians are reasonable people. They understand that things need to be resolved and that may take some time, but the key issue here was getting some understanding of the nature of the problem, how long it may take and what the impacts would be.
And I think it goes to the issue of how reliant we are on our digital devices and connectivity overall, including for consuming messages and news media. And, in this case, the broadcasting platforms were there to be utilised and I did encourage Optus to do that as well.
It’s important, I believe, to have a post-incident review that is both thorough in scope but also is completed expeditiously and goes to the precise issues of what has caused this, considering the considerable amount of disruption, the distress it has caused, but also the economic impact as well. And to understand what [can] be done in future by the sector as a whole to take the lesson and mitigate that going forward.
So this is important, because Australians expect that there will be follow-up, that there will be lessons learned. But, importantly for the sector as a whole, it’s important to understand how this can be certainly avoided in future.
Continue reading...A judge also ordered the state to pay the five men more than $500,000 in compensation, including interest and legal costs
A Victorian education department official will make an in-person apology to five students who experienced antisemitic bullying at a Melbourne school.
The former Brighton secondary college students – Joel and Matt Kaplan, Liam Arnold-Levy, Guy Cohen and Zack Snelling – successfully sued the school and the state of Victoria in the federal court, which handed down its decision last month.
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Abbott suggests ‘scaling back’ on ‘separatism’ after no referendum vote
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has some ... opinions ... on what the defeat of the voice referendum means the country should do next. It’s fair to say they’re not uncontroversial.
Flying the Aboriginal flag co-equally (as if Australia is a country of two nations) and the routine acknowledgement of country by all speakers at official events (as if those whose ancestry here stretches beyond 1788 are more Australian than anyone else).
The Department of Justice wishes to express deepest sympathies to the boy’s family, friends and community for their tragic loss. The department is continuing its investigation into all the circumstances of the incident.
The death will be subject to a mandatory inquest and the department will fully co-operate with the coronial process.
Continue reading...‘Protection of civilian lives must come first and respect for international humanitarian law is paramount,’ Australian foreign minister says. Follow the day’s news live
Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour speaks on the referendum
Just before the house adjourned for the evening on Tuesday, Labor Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour gave a speech about the referendum which is very much worth your time:
I want to say a few things about what led us to the recent referendum and what it means for those first peoples Australians most affected by the outcome, particularly the first peoples Australians in my electorate of Lingiari.
Because of some arcane parliamentary tradition, which I understand derives from English House of Commons, we are obliged to call the making of a speech at this time and in this place a ‘grievance debate’.
The price tag of Israel’s right to defend itself cannot be the destruction of Palestine.
Israel’s right to defend its civilians cannot equate to the annihilation of Palestinian civilians. I hereby call for an immediate ceasefire to come into effect, alongside many world leaders and experts.
Continue reading...Albanese highlights ‘concerning’ Coalition voice rhetoric as Dutton targets PM over treaty and truth telling. Follow the day’s news live
‘We’re holding a thorough consultation process,’ Jacinta Allan says
Under the proposal, a government minister will appoint commissioners, though the Greens-chaired integrity and oversight committee will have the power to veto candidates.
A new parliamentary ethics committee
Improvements to mechanisms relating to public interest disclosures about MPs
Updates to the MP code of conduct
We’re holding a thorough consultation process to ensure we achieve the highest standards of conduct and integrity of MPs in all aspects of their work for Victorians.
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A strong no vote could hold back reforms in Indigenous affairs, Wyatt says
Ken Wyatt said he doesn’t think the government has made a mistake deciding against legislating the voice if the referendum is defeated, but he fears what a strong no vote will mean for the future of Indigenous affairs:
We’ve got to respect what Australians are saying if there is an overwhelming no majority …
The fear I have now is with a strong no, whether the government will become reticent to be adventurous on doing significant reforms in the future in the Aboriginal affairs portfolio, and on programs and policies that could reshape the landscape of Aboriginal affairs and the way in which Aboriginal people access the plethora of services that we all take for granted across this nation as our inherent right.
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Heavy traffic near Sydney airport after truck crash and fluid spill
Traffic remains heavy near Sydney airport after a two-truck crash caused a fluid spill.
This is one of the most important priorities for us coming out of what’s occurred in the previous days.
Minister Wong is [working] really hard on that. The Australian government will do whatever is necessary to protect [its] citizens.
We’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure we can secure the safety of Australians … We’re working very hard to make sure we protect Australians not just overseas, but here at home.
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AAP has the latest polling results ahead of the Indigenous voice referendum day this Saturday:
Two surveys show the no campaign is still ahead a week out from referendum day despite one poll indicating a slight late gain in support for the yes vote in the past month.
Not at all. It’s only done when people cast their ballots.
We’ll wait and see when they cast their vote. I’m not getting ahead of the Australian people.
I know there’s some arrogance has crept into the no side campaign, but it’s a campaign based upon fear and it’s similar to the sort of arguments that were put prior to the apology to stolen generations. And if people think about that … there weren’t any negative consequences for anyone.
Continue reading...Lonergan Research survey finds 63% of parents agree public schools are underfunded as ABS data shows decline in public enrolments
Almost half of all parents with children in Australia’s private schools would consider moving them to the public system if it was better resourced, according to a new survey.
The Lonergan Research survey, commissioned by the Greens, polled more than 1,000 parents nationally with children enrolled from kindergarten to year 12.
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More than 70 constitutional and public law teachers have signed a letter saying the voice to parliament “is not constitutionally risky” in a bid to clarify “misunderstandings and misconceptions” among Australian voters.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
In law school, we teach our students techniques to assess competing legal opinions, which include looking at the evidence that the author is using to support their opinion, and the author’s experience working in the specialised field. This skill is important, for instance, in assessing the stated concern of the No Case that the proposed amendment is constitutionally ‘risky’ and, in particular, that it might lead to dysfunction and delays in government.
Certainly, it is impossible to predict exactly what the High Court might say in the future; this is the case for all constitutional and legal provisions. But we know that the vast majority of expert legal opinion agrees that this amendment is not constitutionally risky. These views are supported by careful argument, drawing on precedent (that is, previously decided cases) and a deep understanding of the Court’s approach to constitutional interpretation. These experts also agree that the proposed Voice provision is consistent with the Australian constitutional system.
We did have a disturbing incident this morning where our crews had to respond to a water rescue in the Bairnsdale area, where two males entered the water in a car and subsequently got carried away, or the vehicle got carried away. They had to be rescued from the roof of their vehicle.
… It is a salient reminder never [to] enter flood waters, always choose an alternative route.
Continue reading...‘Historic injustices’ suffered by Indigenous people warrant a voice to parliament, open letter signed by more than 350 says
The “historic injustices” suffered by Indigenous Australians warrant a voice to parliament, according to hundreds of historians, with a new public campaign calling on voters to consider the nation’s colonial past when casting their ballot.
Historians from universities, libraries and museums are asking Australians to consider how people in the future will look back on this moment, saying the referendum campaign will be a “turning point” for the fabric of the nation.
Continue reading...The ‘compliance blitz’ aims to crack down on rorts in the sector with the establishment of an integrity unit
The federal government will launch a $37.8m “compliance blitz” to crack down on unlawful behaviour in Australia’s vocational education and training (Vet) sector as part of a suite of measures to clean up dodgy providers in international education.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, the minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor, will announce the establishment of an integrity unit within the regulator to identify and address threats to Vet.
Continue reading...Coroner examining five suicide deaths says tertiary sector faces difficult challenge in encouraging students to get help
International students in crisis are not accessing mental health support services they need, a Victorian coronial inquest into suicide deaths has found.
The inquest examined the deaths of five international students who took their own lives in 2020. The students were born in different nations, attended four institutions in the state and had various living circumstances.
Continue reading...The disability royal commission was split in its final report over whether segregated education should be phased out from 2025
Australian schoolchildren with neurodevelopmental disorders are being “dumped” from the mainstream system, a leading researcher says, as debate grows over whether special schools for students with a disability should be phased out.
The final report of the royal commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability, released on Friday, was split on the issue of special schools.
Continue reading...The consequences of the Coalition’s job ready graduate scheme mean the costs of some courses have ballooned up to 140% over the last five years
Pressure is mounting on the federal government to prevent ballooning course costs as figures reveal some humanities courses have become more than 140% more expensive in the past five years.
The costs are a hangover from the previous federal government’s controversial job ready graduates (JRG) scheme, which brought wide condemnation from the sector.
Continue reading...Just one Australian institution remains in the top 50 of Times Higher Education’s 2024 global rankings, with six in top 100
Australia’s top universities have tumbled in Times Higher Education’s (THE) 2024 global rankings, prompting a “red light warning” for the country’s tertiary sector.
Almost all of Australia’s top 10 universities dropped places in this year’s ranking, with just one institution remaining in the top 50 and six in the top 100.
Continue reading...Dr Louise Stone says victims have spoken of ‘enforced closeness’ of long sessions in operating rooms and the ‘boys’ club culture’ of industry
Female doctors who have experienced sexual assault have spoken of work conditions they felt made them more vulnerable to harm from senior colleagues, an Australian researcher says.
“[They described] the enforced closeness that can occur in long sessions in operating theatres,” said Dr Louise Stone, an associate professor at the Australian National University.
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