Andrew Norton
@andrewjnorton.bsky.social
📤 449
📥 247
📝 102
Australian higher education policy andrewnorton.id.au
With its policy on so-called over-enrolments the government risks reducing higher education opportunities in 2026.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/25/t...
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The last university over-enrolment crackdown – some possible lessons
As announced last year, the government plans to crack down on so-called ‘over-enrolments’ – enrolling additional students on a student-contribution only basis once all a universit…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/25/the-last-university-over-enrolment-crackdown-some-possible-lessons/
10 days ago
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Graduate employment outcomes worsened in 2024 comapred to 2023. But ABS data suggests a partial recovery in 2025. My analysis of this week's graduate jobs data.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/19/2...
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2024 graduate employment outcomes and early 2025 trends
The 2024 Graduate Outcomes Survey finally came out this week. As recently as 2021 the GOS came out in the year it covered, not September the following year. The government’s inability/refusal…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/19/2024-graduate-employment-outcomes-and-early-2025-trends/
15 days ago
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Voluntary HELP repayments are unlikely to reach recent peaks again. My explainer.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/16/t...
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The future of voluntary HELP repayments
In recent years voluntary HELP repayments increased significantly, peaking at $2.9 billion in 2022-23, before dropping back to $992 million in 2024-25 (according to data released last week). This p…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/09/16/the-future-of-voluntary-help-repayments/
19 days ago
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Mature age demand for undergraduate education is well down. My new blog post looks at why.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/29/w...
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Why is demand for mature-age undergraduate education shrinking?
I have an article in The Conversation this morning on why demand for undergraduate higher education has been weak in recent years. I looked at school leavers in this July 2025 post. This post expan…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/29/why-is-demand-for-mature-age-undergraduate-education-shrinking/
about 1 month ago
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Demographics and a strong labour market have held uni enrolments down. My latest for The Conversation.
theconversation.com/australian-u...
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Australian uni enrolments have declined. But is Job-ready Graduates to blame?
Something major has happened to student demand in recent years. But how much of this is due to the fees students are paying?
https://theconversation.com/australian-uni-enrolments-have-declined-but-is-job-ready-graduates-to-blame-264043
about 1 month ago
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Over 2020-2022 the government paid $550 million for student places that were never delivered.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/25/u...
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University under-enrolment in the COVID and after years
Recently the Department of Education published 2021-2022 data on payments under the Higher Education Continuity Guarantee, a 2021-23 Coalition program to compensate universities for under-enrolment…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/25/university-under-enrolment-in-the-covid-and-after-years/
about 1 month ago
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Funding for Commonwealth supported university students increases in most years - but less quickly than increases in costs.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/22/h...
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Has funding for Commonwealth supported students been cut?
With universities back job shedding, academics and their unions are looking for someone to blame. University leaders and consultants are being attacked for poor decisions. The government also gets …
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/22/has-funding-for-commonwealth-supported-students-been-cut/
about 1 month ago
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Gender-based violence legislation - reporting requirements and penalties.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/18/g...
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Gender-based violence legislation, Part 3: Reporting and penalties for higher education providers
The first post in this series outlined the meaning of gender-based violence and processes that apply to all higher education staff and students. The second post looked at processes when a complaint…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/18/gender-based-violence-legislation-part-3-reporting-and-penalties-for-higher-education-providers/
about 2 months ago
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Processes for disclosers of gender-based violence and accused respondents under the proposed new uni legal code. As drafted, it has omissions and deficiencies.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/15/g...
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Gender-based violence legislation: Part 2, Processes for victims and perpetrators
My first post on the higher education gender-based violence bill and its draft code looked at how gender-based violence is defined and the broad obligations placed on higher education providers and…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/15/gender-based-violence-legislation-part-2-processes-for-victims-and-perpetrators/
about 2 months ago
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Complex new laws will require unis to be more proactive against 'gender-based violence'. The first part of my explainer.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/14/g...
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Gender-based violence legislation: Part 1, Definitions and requirements for all higher education providers, staff and students
Legislation on ‘gender-based violence’ in higher education is back in Parliament. Its principal purpose is to provide a legal foundation for a National Higher Education Code to Prevent …
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/14/gender-based-violence-legislation-part-1-definitions-and-requirements-for-all-higher-education-providers-staff-and-students/
about 2 months ago
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What Australian graduates see as important in a job. Australia compared to eight other countries.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/11/u...
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University funding systems and what graduates see as important in a job
For a side-project I’ve recently engaged with the subject of whether higher education funding systems shape the educational and career choices of students and graduates. On one theory, where …
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/11/university-funding-systems-and-what-graduates-see-as-important-in-a-job/
about 2 months ago
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For female graduates full-time work rates peak in their late 20s, but longitudinal data shows significant movements in and out of part-time work. Most female part-time workers earn less than the new $67K HELP repayment threshold - a risk of compounding indexation.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/06/g...
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Graduate income fluctuations and HELP repayment
Last week I raised concerns about the new HELP repayment system increasing the number of HELP debtors who face very long repayment times or lifetimes of student debt. The calculations in that post …
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/08/06/graduate-income-fluctuations-and-help-repayment/
about 2 months ago
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After two years of policy measures to bring down international student numbers a modest relaxation of policy for 2026. My Conversation explainer.
theconversation.com/australias-s...
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Australia’s student caps will ease up in 2026, but times will still be tough for international education
After two years of trying to reduce international student numbers, the Albanese government will soften its approach in 2026.
https://theconversation.com/australias-student-caps-will-ease-up-in-2026-but-times-will-still-be-tough-for-international-education-262521
2 months ago
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Under the new HELP repayment system grads earning >$67K will pay the ATO at least 47 cents in the dollar.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/31/w...
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Will the new HELP repayment system make high EMTR problems better or worse?
The new HELP repayment system being legislated this week will move from repaying a % of total income to a % of income above the repayment threshold, a marginal system. In introducing the bill to Pa…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/31/will-the-new-help-repayment-system-make-high-emtr-problems-better-or-worse/
2 months ago
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The government's proposed HELP repayment system puts more female debtors at risk of a lifetime of debt.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/29/t...
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The new HELP repayment system and lifetimes of student debt
The prime minister says that a degree should not come with a lifetime of debt. For that goal, the government’s HELP legislation introduced last week is contradictory. It will cut all debt owe…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/29/the-new-help-repayment-system-and-lifetimes-of-student-debt/
2 months ago
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Working out what pressure international students put on the rental market is difficult. But the RBA may have underestimated how many students are renting. My latest blog post.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/28/i...
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International students and the rental market
The housing section of the RBA’s report last week on international students and the economy had higher education media dismissing the contribution of students to rent increases as a ‘fu…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/28/international-students-and-the-rental-market/
2 months ago
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The government plans to increase the income at which student debt is repaid from $56,156 to $67,000. Higher thresholds impliedly accept an earlier argument that graduates should face less financial risk than other people who benefit from government programs.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/24/t...
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The history and politics of the first student debt repayment threshold
The government’s HELP legislation, cutting student debts by 20% and introducing a new repayment system, was introduced into Parliament yesterday. While I have criticisms of the 20% cut, it wi…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/24/the-history-and-politics-of-the-first-student-debt-repayment-threshold/
2 months ago
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The government's changes to student loans are good politics. The policy is less impressive.
theconversation.com/labors-new-b...
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Labor’s new bill would cut HELP loans by 20%. But it also risks locking some graduates into a ‘debt treadmill’
The debt changes will deliver major benefits to recent graduates, but much less to current students and nothing to future students.
https://theconversation.com/labors-new-bill-would-cut-help-loans-by-20-but-it-also-risks-locking-some-graduates-into-a-debt-treadmill-261472
2 months ago
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Undergraduate demand for non-STEM fields has declined.
3 months ago
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At least for academic year 2024, school leaver demand for higher education remained weak.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/14/d...
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Despite an increase in applications for the 2024 academic year, school leaver interest in higher education remains below mid-2010s levels
University applications data for 2022 to 2024 was finally released late last week, giving us another data source on demand for higher education. This post focuses on recent school leavers. The char…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/14/despite-an-increase-in-applications-for-the-2024-academic-year-school-leaver-interest-in-higher-education-remains-below-mid-2010s-levels/
3 months ago
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The Commonwealth Prac Payment, which starts on 1 July, is meant to help teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students complete compulsory placements. But the eligibility criteria, tax and social security income tests will undermine its effectiveness.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/06/23/t...
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The Prac Payment that will go to Services Australia and the ATO, as well as students
Last year I was critical of how I thought the Commonwealth Prac Payments were going to work. These were to provide Austudy level payments, currently equivalent to $331.65 a week, for nursing, midwi…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/06/23/the-prac-payment-that-will-go-to-services-australia-and-the-ato-as-well-as-students/
3 months ago
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In the early 2020s we saw a small decrease in uni students not coming back after first year, but increases in leaving without completing a degree between years 2 and 4 since commencement, and in years 5 and 6. This post explores some possible reasons.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/06/17/w...
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What explains delays in attrition?
I was quoted at the weekend in a Herald-Sun article about attrition from Victorian universities. The journalist wanted to know how much HELP debt students typically have on drop-out, but unfortunat…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/06/17/what-explains-delays-in-attrition/
4 months ago
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While April 2025 student visa applications were higher than usual for a quiet time of year, for the year to date 2025 applications are still down on recent years.
data.gov.au/dataset/ds-d...
4 months ago
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Niche: Why rates of upfront payment of student contributions and fees have increased in recent years.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/05/27/w...
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What is behind increased rates of upfront payment of fees and student contributions?
It’s been a while – seven years – since I took a look at higher education student decisions to take out a HELP loan or pay upfront. Since then we’ve had instability in upfro…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/05/27/what-is-behind-increased-rates-of-upfront-payment-of-fees-and-student-contributions/
4 months ago
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Government funding for the main higher education block grant scheme increased by 6.1% between 2024 and 2025. But the micro-allocations within it remain unsatisfactory.
andrewnorton.id.au/2025/05/19/w...
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What’s in the 2025 funding agreements? – ‘Higher education courses’ block grants
In February I reported on preliminary university-level 2025 allocations under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme and estimates of student contributions.* These have since been updated to add money for F…
https://andrewnorton.id.au/2025/05/19/whats-in-the-2025-funding-agreements-higher-education-courses-block-grants/
5 months ago
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As the UK government considers a levy on international student fees, I ask what happened to the similar levy proposed for Australia?
www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/13/w...
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'What the hell just happened?' Australia's flirtation with a levy on international students – By Professor Andrew Norton - HEPI
For an Australian reader the UK immigration white paper’s proposal for a levy on international student fee revenue sounds familiar. In mid-2023 just such a levy was suggested for Australia by the inte...
https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/13/what-the-hell-just-happened-australias-flirtation-with-a-levy-on-international-students/
5 months ago
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The URL to my blog will change soon to
andrewnorton.id.au
andrewnorton.net.au/2025/05/12/a...
5 months ago
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What do Australian governments owe international students?
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What do Australian governments owe international students?
Gaby Ramia, a University of Sydney academic, has long written about international student issues, including their security and well-being. His latest book, International student policy in Australia…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/05/08/what-do-australian-governments-owe-international-students/
5 months ago
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My summary of Labor's near-term higher education policy agenda. Also coming - reintroduction of gender-based violence legislation, ATEC domestic student number controls legislation, governance reforms.
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Labor has promised fast action to cut student debt, but arts students will have to wait for lower fees
If you’re among the 3 million Australians with a HECS-HELP debt, it’s about to be cut by 20%, with no repayments until you earn $67,000. But there is one downside.
https://theconversation.com/labor-has-promised-fast-action-to-cut-student-debt-but-arts-students-will-have-to-wait-for-lower-fees-255872
5 months ago
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This post looks at trends in the 485 temporary graduate visa, which as of February let 214,714 former international students work in Australia. On my analysis, this number could increase significantly in the medium term, complicating the politics of net overseas migration.
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Temporary graduate visas – trends in applications, grants and populations
As part of its international student policy announcement, the Coalition promised a ‘rapid review into the Temporary Graduate Visas (subclass 485)’. The review would ‘address the m…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/04/16/temporary-graduate-visas-trends-in-applications-grants-and-populations/
6 months ago
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More detail on the Coalition's international student caps (of interest to higher ed policy people only).
andrewnorton.net.au/2025/04/07/t...
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The Coalition’s plan to reduce international student numbers – some first thoughts
As rumoured in recent months, the Coalition has decided, if it wins office on 3 May, to cap commencing international student enrolments at a percentage of all commencing enrolments. The precise num…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/04/07/the-coalitions-plan-to-reduce-international-student-numbers-some-first-thoughts/
6 months ago
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My Conversation summary of the Coalition's international students policy. Another significant increase in visa fees & for public unis international students capped at 25% of the total.
theconversation.com/the-coalitio...
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The Coalition has announced an even more radical plan to cut international students than Labor. Here’s how it would work
The Coalition estimates its policy would see 30,000 fewer new international students per year than Labor’s policy. It would also hike visa fees to $5,000 for some unis.
https://theconversation.com/the-coalition-has-announced-an-even-more-radical-plan-to-cut-international-students-than-labor-heres-how-it-would-work-253919
6 months ago
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I've updated the chart data in my Mapping Australian higher education publication. Main change since the October 2024 update is that the financial time series data has an additional year.
andrewnorton.net.au/2025/03/28/m...
6 months ago
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In 2024 higher education was surprisingly resilient, in aggregate, in the face of multiple negative policy changes. But things are now turning. January and February 2025 higher ed visa applications were well down on 2019, 2023 or 2024.
6 months ago
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As the risk of student visa application refusal went up, so too did the number of applicants withdrawing their applications.
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Student visa applications withdrawn
The Department of Home Affairs does not routinely report statistics on withdrawn student visa applications. At my request, they supplied me with student visa applications withdrawn data for 2019, 2…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/03/06/student-visa-applications-withdrawn/
7 months ago
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The number of Indigenous Year 12 students grew more quickly (8.9%) 2023 to 2024 than non-Indigenous (4.9%).
8 months ago
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The Year 12 population is in a strong growth phase, which is good news for school leaver higher education demand.
8 months ago
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This post has a spreadsheet on university-level 2025 Commonwealth supported student funding - something which, surprisingly, the Department of Education does not provide.
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Preliminary 2025 funding per university for Commonwealth supported places
Due to the Department of Education’s under-reporting of higher education funding, last year I consolidated institution-level information into a spreadsheet. There were about 250 downloads eac…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/02/13/preliminary-2025-funding-per-university-for-commonwealth-supported-places/
8 months ago
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A shorter version of my international student visa grant analysis.
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International Student Visa Grants in 2024: A Year of Policy Impact, Surprising Resilience, and Sector Struggles
International student visa grants data for 2024 contains some surprising figures. Despite the government’s efforts to block or deter international
https://thekoalanews.com/international-student-visa-grants-in-2024-a-year-of-policy-impact-surprising-resilience-and-sector-struggles/
8 months ago
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In 2024, total student visa grants were down 24% on 2023 and 12% on 2019, my pre-COVID benchmark. Higher education the stand out for resilience - down 13% on 2023 but up 9% on 2019. Vocational education is down about by about half.
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Are the government’s policies working to reduce international student numbers? Part 2, student visas granted
A previous post looked at demand from international students, as measured by student visa applications. By July 2024 all student deterrent policies announced to date were in place, so the last six …
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/02/07/are-the-governments-policies-working-to-reduce-international-student-numbers-part-2-student-visas-granted/
8 months ago
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Full-year 2024 student visa application data shows that vocational education demand is well below the enrolment caps proposed by the government. But despite reduced higher education demand from some source countries it won't be enough to take enrolment caps off the political agenda.
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Are the government’s policies working to reduce international student numbers? Part 1, student demand
From late 2023 to July 2024 the federal government implemented at least nine policies to reduce international student numbers. With full 2024 student visa data released late last week this is a goo…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/02/03/are-the-governments-policies-working-to-reduce-international-student-numbers-part-1-student-demand/
8 months ago
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A month late, but my write-up of the MYEFO higher education student funding announcements.
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Update on Accord student funding policies
With a break between jobs and other things going on I did not comment in December on the Accord-related MYEFO student funding announcements. Compared to last year’s consultation papers, the a…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/01/24/update-on-accord-student-funding-policies/
8 months ago
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Next Monday I start a new job at Monash Uni, as professor of higher education policy.
www.monash.edu/business/new...
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Higher education expert Professor Andrew Norton to join Monash Business School
https://www.monash.edu/business/news/2025/higher-education-expert-professor-andrew-norton-to-join-monash-business-school
9 months ago
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A post on the Murray review, which led to increased uni funding from the late 1950s and a national system.
andrewnorton.net.au/2025/01/14/r...
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Robert Menzies and the Murray review of universities
An earlier post looked at Robert Menzies and higher education, first as Opposition leader and then as Prime Minister, from 1949 to 1956. Despite important structural changes in the early 1950s, wit…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/01/14/robert-menzies-and-the-murray-review-of-universities/
9 months ago
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Demographic increases in the Year 12 population are now clearly showing in Victorian uni applications.
vtac.edu.au/files/pdf/me...
9 months ago
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Something a bit different - a post on the early history of the Commonwealth's involvement in higher education policy.
andrewnorton.net.au/2025/01/10/r...
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Robert Menzies and higher education, 1945 to 1956
I’m not an historian, but decided to accept a Robert Menzies Institute suggestion that I give a paper on the 1957 Murray report on universities for their 2023 conference on Menzies, which cov…
https://andrewnorton.net.au/2025/01/10/robert-menzies-and-higher-education-1945-to-1956/
9 months ago
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reposted by
Andrew Norton
Stuart Palmer
9 months ago
They were months late this year, but the 2023 Student Experience Survey tables did eventually arrive on the QILT website. On the plus side, there are now aggregate/summary data for seven years representing around 1.25M responses from Australian university students.
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In 2024, the proportion of employed FT tertiary students working 20+ hours per week fell, but remains high compared to the pre-COVID years.
10 months ago
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Non-academic staff increased at a faster rate than academic staff. With a government that regularly adds new bureaucracy and compliance requirements I expect this will increase.
10 months ago
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Record numbers of university staff as at 31 March 2024.
www.education.gov.au/higher-educa...
10 months ago
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