UNIVERSITIES ACCORD
The Australian Government has established the Universities Accord, a 12-month review of Australia’s higher education system.
The key areas for review are:
- Meeting Australia’s knowledge and skills needs, now and in the future.
- Access and opportunity.
- Investment and affordability.
- Governance, accountability and community.
- The connection between the vocational education and training and higher education systems
- Quality and sustainability
- Delivering new knowledge, innovation and capability
An interim report on priority actions will be delived by June 2023, with a final report to be delivered by December 2023.
In early 2023, The Australian Universities Accord Panel Chair, Professor Mary O’Kane published a discussion paper with new submissions accepted. You can read the Curtin Student Guild’s submission to the discussion paper here:
A Submission to the Australian Universities Accord
Key demands of the Curtin Student Guild include:
- A transition to free and fully funded higher education.
- Reduced and transparent senior executive salaries.
- Abolishing HECS debt indexation and raising the minimum repayment threshold.
- Payment for students undertaking compulsory placements.
- HDR student stipend above the minimum wage.
- Lowering the age of Independence for Youth Allowance to 18.
- Welfare reform that supports students living in poverty
- Proper funding for student unions (including the Curtin Student Guild)
- A Duty of Care for higher education providers
- Improving migration pathways for International Students.
- Abolishing the ‘Job Ready’ package, equalising student contributions, and properly funding our courses.
You can read the Curtin Student Guild's initial submission to the Accord below:
A Submission to the Australian Universities Accord