It’s official! Accounting tricks denied public schools more than $2b in funding in 2023
Trevor Cobbold

It’s official! Accounting tricks denied public schools more than $2b in funding in 2023

A new report by the National School Resourcing Board reveals that public schools lost more than $2 billion in funding in 2023 because of accounting tricks used by state governments under the Commonwealth-State funding agreements operating at the time.

Recent articles in Education

A collective voice for peace with justice
Victor Zhang,  Sydney Peace Foundation

A collective voice for peace with justice

Earlier this year, the Sydney Peace Foundation separated from the University of Sydney after 27 years.

Boosting equity and safety for Australia's children
Andrew Scott

Boosting equity and safety for Australia's children

In Australia, 37% of students aged between about 5 or 6 and 18 years go to private schools which charge fees – but while those schools are private, they are not run for profit.

Indonesia’s security depends on educating the minds behind its machines
Kurniawan Arif Maspul

Indonesia’s security depends on educating the minds behind its machines

Indonesia is investing in its regional influence — purchasing new fighters, drones, frigates and billions in defence contracts — while allowing its classrooms to deteriorate.

Australia has amongst the highest teacher shortages in the OECD
Trevor Cobbold

Australia has amongst the highest teacher shortages in the OECD

A new OECD report reveals that Australia’s education system is facing a diabolical staffing crisis. Since 2018, teacher shortages have soared leaving Australia among the worst-performing nations in the OECD.

Managing bullying or manufacturing shame? How neoliberal bureaucracy gets it wrong – again
John Frew

Managing bullying or manufacturing shame? How neoliberal bureaucracy gets it wrong – again

When Education Minister Jason Clare announced the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review in early 2025, he spoke with the gravity such tragedies demand.

Islamophobia in Australian schools: What the Special Envoy’s report means for education
Lara Alqudah,  Catherine Hartung,  Perri Campbell

Islamophobia in Australian schools: What the Special Envoy’s report means for education

Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, recently released his landmark report: A National Response to Islamophobia: A Strategic Framework for Inclusion, Safety and Prosperity.

Counting what doesn’t count: How consultants are hollowing out the university
John Frew

Counting what doesn’t count: How consultants are hollowing out the university

When Western Sydney University announced it would shed hundreds of staff, its vice-chancellor described the decision as part of a “necessary transformation.

Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace
Colin Mackerras

Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace

In March 2023, the Australian Academy of the Humanities sounded the alarm on the decline in our understanding and knowledge of China through a report on “Australia’s China Knowledge Capability”.

Fifty years of political economics at Sydney University – what has it meant for us?
Evan Jones

Fifty years of political economics at Sydney University – what has it meant for us?

Earlier this year The Journal of Australian Political Economy published a special issue devoted to recollections and implications of 50 years of Political Economy courses at Sydney University.

Almost no Australians study Chinese any more. That’s a problem
Michael Read

Almost no Australians study Chinese any more. That’s a problem

Fewer than five Australians per year are graduating from honours programs in Chinese studies with language, raising fears the nation is losing the expertise needed to navigate its most complex foreign relationship.

Campus leaders mobilise to battle Trump’s anti-education ‘Compact’ tooth and nail
Brad Reed

Campus leaders mobilise to battle Trump’s anti-education ‘Compact’ tooth and nail

“Workers, students, campus community members across this great country are coming together to fight for a higher education system that actually works for all – one that is affordable, strengthens freedom and democracy, and stands up to its public mission.”

Shadow of McCarthyism looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity
Laura Gail Miller

Shadow of McCarthyism looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity

Texas A&M University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on 18 September 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity.



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