More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate
Australians spend more money per capita on education than most comparable nations. We should therefore have high levels of literacy but we don’t, with persistent levels of functional illiteracy among Australian adults. There is evidence to show how to fix this.
Recent articles in Education
7 May 2026
Antisemitism is rising and we’re not being honest about why
For years, the response to antisemitism has been predictable: more education, awareness campaigns and structured teaching designed to help people recognise antisemitism when it appears; Holocaust remembrance. These tools are no longer enough because they are not fully engaging with the world people are actually reacting to now.
3 May 2026
Why at-risk children keep falling through the net
Child protection and research systems rely on the presence of a functioning parent, leaving many of the most vulnerable children unseen and unsupported.
24 April 2026
Australia has a teacher shortage – and an untapped workforce
Australia faces acute teacher shortages, yet thousands of qualified migrant teachers remain underemployed due to systemic barriers to entry.
20 April 2026
Australia’s school system is driving inequality – not fixing it
Australia’s school system has become a self-reinforcing cycle of inequality, and without structural reform, the divide between advantaged and disadvantaged students will continue to widen.
15 April 2026
No one likes the Job-ready Graduate scheme – so why does it still exist?
The architect of the HECS scheme Bruce Chapman, says economists agree, the Job-ready Graduate scheme is bad economics.
13 April 2026
Job-ready Graduates has failed – a first step to fixing it is on the table
The Job-ready Graduates reforms have increased student debt, failed to shift enrolments, and entrenched inequality across Australia’s higher education system.
4 April 2026
Does AI mean more uni students are plagiarising their work?
Long-term research suggests student plagiarism has declined over two decades, despite concerns about AI. But more than half of students still engage in it at some point.
2 April 2026
School funding is undermining equality and cohesion
Australia’s school funding model is widening inequality and weakening public education. Without reform, it risks undermining social cohesion, productivity and democratic stability.
31 March 2026
When charity no longer means need
Australia’s charitable framework now rewards compliance over need, allowing well-resourced institutions and contested activities to sit alongside genuine relief of disadvantage.
30 March 2026
Half the truth: defending public education requires more honesty, not less
Criticism of public schools is not entirely wrong – but by ignoring unequal conditions, it misdiagnoses the problem and misplaces responsibility.
27 March 2026
Underfunded public schools, overfunded private ones – the gap grows
Private schools are pulling further ahead as funding policies deepen inequality across Australia’s education system.
20 March 2026
Bill Shorten’s university proposal breaks the deadlock – but design will decide its value
Bill Shorten’s proposal for a university fund tackles a long-standing funding problem – but its impact will depend on how it is designed and delivered.
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