Education
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Antisemitism and our universities
In today’s papers the Education Minister Jason Clare announced the decision to appoint a new National Student Ombudsman who will combat anti-Semitism at Australia Universities. He explained that Jewish students “don’t feel safe at university” and that it was obvious that antisemitism was a serious problem at tertiary institutions. Continue reading »
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Sanctioning universities for failing to address antisemitism
Julian Leeser’s Bill to establish a Commission of Inquiry into antisemitism at universities constitutes a major assault on academic freedom, critical inquiry and the independence of universities. Continue reading »
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Australia’s colonised universities: in partibus infidelium*
A recent article on The Citizen by James Costa carries the welcome news that certain students, professional staff, and faculty have, for some eight years, been disturbing the academic brothel-keepers at the University of Melbourne by urging them to sever the links it has to weapons manufacturers and Continue reading »
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Good teachers: how to ensure they remain within the system
The American poet e.e. cummings once observed that good teachers provide a mirror for their students, reflecting back to them valuable attributes that hitherto they’ve not been able to recognise for themselves. This precious pedagogical gift is treated with indifference — even contempt — by far too many Australian politicians, bureaucrats, opinionated media aficionados, and Continue reading »
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Thank you to the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment
After a record 111 days, students at the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment finally took down their tents on 17-18 August and began a new phase of activism. Continue reading »
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Universities chasing rankings makes Australia less inventive
The obsession of universities with growth through international rankings that attract fee-paying overseas students has let Australia fall behind in its ability to create new, breakthrough scientific knowledge. Universities talk about “punching above their weight” in publication output, but they have generated only four breakthrough discoveries in the past 25 years. Continue reading »
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From Aussie politics to Henry Lawson: the story of how ‘Australian studies’ spread across China
There are nearly 40 Australian studies centres in China’s universities and institutes. This is a greater number than anywhere else in the world, including in Australia itself. Continue reading »
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Could mpox become established in the Indo-Pacific?
While the Indo-Pacific has been one of the regions least affected by mpox in the past, that could change if the virus spreads unchecked. Continue reading »
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The global collapse of parenting and the rise of the device
Over ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Guardian that argued it was time to slay a sacred cow: that the internet is a force for good. Many advised me against writing it, saying it would be read as the views of a laggard, but it became one of the most-read articles published Continue reading »
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If fonix doesn’t spell phonics, what does it spell?
As a beginning teacher in the year 2000, and the father of a young child, the question, ‘Do I use whole language or phonics?’ did not occur to me. Instinctively, it made sense that when attempting to pronounce a new word one had to know something of the connection to the sounds we make and Continue reading »
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Students count cost of epic fail
Successive federal governments have propelled a ‘backdoor privatisation’ of Australian universities. It’s shameful. Continue reading »
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NT school funding agreement includes more accounting fiddles
The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments brings a much needed boost to public schools funding. However, the claims by the Federal Education Minister, the NT Chief Minister and the NT Education Minister that Territory public schools will be fully funded by 2029 is a deliberate falsehood, that is, a Continue reading »
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Zionist bullying distorts politics, media and education
In addition to physical or psychological abuse, bullies use power in relationships to pressure others to adopt their world views. The bullying may appear in letters, lobbying, radio and television interviews, secret meetings with politicians and business leaders and even in legal action against those who criticise the bullies’ points of view. Continue reading »
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Better and fairer schools – in a sea of inequity?
The title of the new plan for school education, the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, might come back to haunt us well before it expires in 2034. As an agreement it doesn’t look any better, and it certainly won’t be fairer. It will lock Australia into a schooling framework which is worsening with each passing Continue reading »
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Unis take foreign interference risks seriously
The security risks that Australian universities face through their many and varied international connections need to be taken seriously. Continue reading »
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Writings from the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment: The series
On 29 April 2024, students established a Gaza Solidarity Encampment in the centre of the Australian National University (ANU) campus. The students made the following demands: Continue reading »
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Productivity commission exposes private school funding defects
New analysis by the Productivity Commission of donations to school building and other funds highlights how antithetical private school funding is to the concept of needs-based funding. Continue reading »
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Art and popular resistance: truth telling from ANU to Gaza to Sudan
Palestinian liberation movements on this continent are intertwined with Blak liberation and resistance movements for restorative land justice around the world. To organise for Palestinian liberation, to organise for First Nations liberation on this continent and globally, is to call for a drastic restructuring of settler identity and cultural awareness of the role of settler Continue reading »
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Space and domination: The ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment
As of the 14th of July 2024, the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the Australian National University (ANU) is 76 days old. For Palestinians, 14,000 kilometres away, past the iridescent waters of the Riau Islands, through the rice paddies of India and the vastness of the Saudi sands; for Palestinians trying to survive in their home, Continue reading »
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Hollow liars: the day ANU called ACT police on its students
The ANU used so many resources that day, so much money, manpower and time dedicated to shutting us up. Whilst they were forcefully defending their own complicity with all the resources available to them, Israel was dropping bombs on a refugee camp. The VC was more concerned with our tents than those that were being Continue reading »
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When will we treat Indonesia seriously?
The title question deserves a cynic’s response: Only when the country next door becomes a military dictatorship and mates with China. Then we might wake up. Continue reading »
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Writings from the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment
This is Part One of a six-part series of articles from the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Apart from the Introduction by Emeritus Professor Tamara Jacka, all articles are written by student members of the encampment. To protect the authors against identification, we have kept them anonymous. Continue reading »
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Health leaders call for University of Melbourne to drop disciplinary action against students
In an open letter, health leaders have urged the University of Melbourne to drop disciplinary action against 21 students involved in activism for Gaza. Continue reading »
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UNRWA must not be criminalised by the Israeli Parliament
The conflict in Gaza has created both a humanitarian crisis and a public health emergency. Both are still worsening. Yet despite this, Israel is moving to declare UNRWA (United Nations Relief Work Agency) a terrorist organisation. This would massively reduce the ability of UNRWA to deliver (already totally inadequate) food, health care and shelter to Continue reading »
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Israel legislatively and militarily seeks to destroy UNRWA
As the Israeli military obliterates Gaza, massacres refugees living in tents in so called “safe zones”, slaughters 38,000 people including at least 16,000 of these children, its government works to “finish off” UNRWA. Continue reading »
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Vice-Chancellors’ remuneration, university financial performance, and global rankings
The Sunday Age (The Age) reported on 30 June 2024 on the 2023 salary packages of the Vice-Chancellors of Victoria’s eight public universities in a story entitled “Rich List: University heads on million-dollar salaries” by Daniella White and Sherryn Groch. Such headlines can be attention seeking, especially if not set in a wider context. This Continue reading »
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ACIL modelling used by Sydney University fundamentally flawed
This Sydney Morning Herald article reports on ACIL Allen modelling undertaken for Sydney University which concludes that in 2025, there will be around 60,000 fewer international students enrolling compared to 2023 and will lead to job losses of around 22,000. The rationale for this is based on a flawed understanding of how Net Overseas Migration Continue reading »
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The Right’s war to control education
The corporate world is afraid of youth demanding change, particularly as rapacious business practices look set to drive us over the climate cliff into a frightening future. One solution the Right has implemented is the Christian Classical Education movement. Continue reading »
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Private schools serving richest NSW families over-funded by millions
New figures reveal scandalous over-funding of NSW Independent schools serving the richest families in the state. Hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds are being squandered on just 52 highly privileged schools while public schools go begging. Continue reading »
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Exemptions in discrimination law: ‘safe spaces’ to act out prejudice towards LGBTIQ people
The denigration of the humanity and self-worth of a group of people is enabled by social and legal licensing of the expression of prejudice and hatred towards that group. Australian discrimination laws have been plated up like master chef, with optional extras for religious groups. Continue reading »
