Our university sector continues to face plummeting revenues from overseas students as a result of COVID-19, and remains unable to access JobKeeper thanks to the way the federal government has tweaked the program to exclude public universities and colleges.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sadly, this combination of dire circumstances has led to a significant reduction in the university workforce, both through voluntary redundancies and separations, a process that has not spared any provider.
More news
A federal government support package announced almost six months ago included $18 billion in projected university funding, and $100 million of "regulator fee relief" across the sector, but university leaders say the package fell short of what was needed.
Add to the slump in overseas student numbers and we have a sector in an extremely vulnerable position.
Like a lot of industry segments and institutions that rely heavily on the federal government for support and funding, the tertiary education industry will be eagerly awaiting the government's October 6 budget to see where the opportunities might lie.
And it's in all our interests to take an interest in how our unis fare. They are critically important to a lot of research that take place in clinics and laboratories across the nation.
They provide invaluable training and education to the next generation of teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, accountants, nurses, engineers, physios and many others.
More than 20,000 jobs will likely be lost out of the university sector as a result of the pandemic, and among the many balancing acts university leaders and the government need to manage is the critical task of not letting education standards be compromised.
Talk that the sector could take many years to recover needs to be addressed openly and in the spirit of understanding and cooperation. Alarmingly, Universities Australia estimates $16 billion will have been lost to the sector by 2023.
If we want to ensure university standards and outcomes don't fall, and that the sector recovers as quickly as possible, we need to formulate a plan that provides all institutions with a way forward.
That's a task far easier said than done.
We have removed our paywall from essential updates and safety information regarding the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists, subscribe here.
