New roadmap gives Australia two paths out of COVID-19 lockdown: elimination or adaptation
The Group of Eight, an affiliation of leading Australian research universities, this week published a major independent report describing a Roadmap to Recovery for the nation. It sets out some key policy choices, as well as a suite of recommendations to state and federal governments for the months ahead – specifically, beyond May 15, the extent of the federal government’s current restrictions.
COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery – A Report for the Nation
Australia will soon face the complex challenge of resuming campus teaching in schools and universities, and businesses returning to premises. While many will look forward to this, many others will be concerned and some will personally be at greater risk. How this transition is supported will have a major impact on societal wellbeing and economic recovery.
On student recruitment mid-crisis, learn from Australia
COVID-19 is forcing those of us who work in the education sector further online. But the education industry in Australia has seen challenges the rest of the world hasn’t had to face yet: particularly, the effect of the pandemic on a major annual student intake. Importantly, for higher education institutions in the northern hemisphere, Australia’s response provides valuable foresight into what the rest of the world may face in the near future.
Universities face disastrous fall in income due to COVID-19
With campuses shut down across Australia, the nation’s universities face an “economic catastrophe and massive job losses” from the COVID-19 emergency, the higher education sector says.
Are schools open or closed for term 2 as coronavirus spread slows in Australia? State-by-state guide
The position of the federal and state governments on whether to send children to school in term two while coronavirus social distancing rules are in force has many parents confused.
WA unveils plan for mass coronavirus testing in schools as it records no new COVID-19 cases
About 80 public schools, educational support centres and residential colleges will be involved in the study. … Mr McGowan said following the rollout of testing in schools the study would be extended to frontline healthcare and FIFO workers.
A message from Austrade to our international education partners (28 April 2020)
While light is finally appearing at the end of the COVID-19 crisis tunnel, the Australian Government is working closer than ever before with states and territory governments, education providers and community organisations, to deliver support measures for our international student community…
This week, the Australian Government released a snapshot of health and wellbeing support, financial assistance and information sources available to international students. An infographic is available for download on the Study Australia resource hub and can be shared with your respective communities and stakeholders…International education study destination agencies in each state and territory are playing a vital role in supporting international students and referring them to welfare services, mental health support and emergency relief…Education institutions are also supporting international students, with all of Australia’s 43 universities delivering a range of initiatives totalling more than $145 million. The latest list of commitments is available on the Study Australia website.
As the pandemic eases, the political fault lines are as bad as ever
“Universities go it alone. The higher education sector, hit with particular ferocity by the pandemic, found itself on the receiving end of an $18 billion government rescue package. But the size and adequacy of the package has Labor out of its shell. Education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said the plan was a "fraud" which did little to alleviate the huge damage to one of Australia's largest exports. With some institutions facing collapse, Plibersek urged the government to provide low-cost loans and funding guarantees for universities. Meanwhile, international students -- now out of work, ineligible for relief under the JobKeeper package and unable to get home -- are turning to state governments for help after being abandoned by Canberra. Queensland and South Australia have both recently unveiled relief packages.”
Australia flags limited opening of campuses, borders
‘Three-step plan’ would allow gradual increases to class sizes, with borders inched open for foreign students
The three-step plan for reopening Australia after Covid-19 and what Stage 1, 2 and 3 looks like
Step one will see us connecting with more friends and family, and see businesses, educational campuses and sporting facilities start to reopen…Step one will also see children back in classrooms and in playgrounds in their communities, and universities and technical colleges increasing face-to-face teaching where possible.
Unis could fly in foreign students
Universities could fly in thousands of foreign students under strict quarantine conditions to stem their mounting financial losses and reboot a vital sector of the Australian economy, the expert committee advising the government suggests.
'Let's get the campuses open': Minister wants uni students back for semester two
Almost 1.5 million university students should be back on campus by July after federal Education Minister Dan Tehan declared he wanted to see the sector return to face-to-face teaching for second semester.
SA to lift most virus shackles with limits
Universities and TAFE colleges will also be allowed to resume face-to-face learning, public swimming pools and libraries can reopen, and open house inspections and home auctions will be permitted under a raft of changes announced on Friday.
In almost all cases, numbers will be limited to 10 people at a time and all social distancing provisions will still apply.
Never waste a crisis: will COVID-19 be a catalyst for change at Australia's universities?
A decade on, after consistent annual growth in international education of around 14 per cent, it is over-exposure to the Chinese market in particular that is the source of the sector's woes. And the shock from the COVID-19 pandemic makes the previous Indian student downturn look trivial.
Australian universities angry at 'final twist of the knife' excluding them from jobkeeper
New rules say universities must count six months’ revenue, a tweak that puts coronavirus payments out of reach
COVID-19 – Online leads to student performance decline
University researchers have warned that Australia’s school students face a decline in their learning and classroom performance as a result of the switch to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Support emerging for broke, stranded foreign students
More than 565,000 international students were undertaking courses in Australia’s universities and colleges when the coronavirus outbreak struck. Tens of thousands are now stranded with little or no financial support in the middle of what has become a pandemic.|
Easing on cards as app target in sight (Lexis; login required)
"It can give early advice, early warning. It keeps you safe, it keeps your family safe, it keeps our health workers safe." Education Minister Dan Tehan said downloading the COVIDSafe app would support the reopening of universities and schools.
"There are more than 350,000 teachers and principals in Australia and more than 137,000 people working in higher education who should download the app because it enables early notification of possible exposure to COVID-19," Mr Tehan said.
University upheaval: 'If people feel safe, we’ll see the students come back'
Australia’s tertiary sector is both one of the greatest victims of the coronavirus contraction and vital to the road out
Careful Steps to Reactivate Campuses
Universities Australia welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement of a three-step plan to re-open the Australian economy
Minister for Education Dan Tehan interview with Patricia Karvelas, ABC Afternoon Briefing
We think that one of the first things we've got to do is make sure that we've got our campuses reopened for semester two, that we've got those international students, who are here in Australia, able to access that teaching at university campuses, and ensuring that those domestic students also get access to those campuses, so they can do that face-to-face tutorials or go to attend lectures, with social distancing protocols in place. So, that's our priority. Then we will look at, okay, where are we at with the future of the international higher education market?
International students may be able to enter Australia by July 2020
Another border could open soon for international students: Australia…Prime Minister Scott Morrisson announced that the federal government is considering a travel exemption to allow international students into the country from as early as July 2020.
Universities to lose thousands of jobs, hitting research
More than 21,000 jobs will be lost in Australia’s universities over the next six months as a result of the impact of the pandemic on the nation’s research workforce.
Coronavirus and Chinese threats: Double whammy for Australian universities
While the government has said opening the border will be the last restriction to lift, it has flagged the possibility of allowing charter flights to bring international students stranded abroad back into the country under strict quarantine measures. Catriona Jackson, the CEO of peak higher education body, Universities Australia, said universities welcome the proposal but are approaching it with caution." You can't just turn off access and turn it back on again. You need to make sure students are both ready and understand what their options are," she said. "If it happens sooner rather than later, that is of course a good thing, but expert medical advice will be guiding all our actions." A survey published in February by the Education Consultants Association of Australia found that nearly a third of the 100,000 Chinese students enrolled in Australian universities but stuck in China, were considering studying in another country as a result of the uncertain situation.
Australia to pay heavy price
There were 152,591 Chinese students in Australia for higher education in 2018, accounting for more than one-third of the total. However, according to Liu, the bottom fell out of the relationship between China and Australia recently, and the unclear future is likely to weigh heavily on families' choices of higher education destinations.
COVID-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide
A survey focusing on Covid-19-related racism against Asians and Asian-Australians recorded 178 incidents during the first two weeks of April countrywide. The survey, by the community group Asian Australian Alliance, has received about 12 reports a day since April 2, ranging from racial slurs to physical assault. The majority of racist incidents reported – 62 percent – were against women. Australia’s Human Rights Commission also reported a spike in complaints about racist attacks. The Australian National University created a “prejudice census” to better collect information about the surge of incidents linked to Covid-19.
Coronavirus impact on international student numbers will be felt longer than the GFC, experts say
The closure of Australia's borders and subsequent loss of international students has hit university finances hard. While each university has a different exposure to the downturn, it is estimated that, Australia-wide, revenue will drop by $3 billion this year.
Social distancing rules explained: Australia's current state by state coronavirus guidelines; Several states have already started relaxing physical distancing laws, while others are holding firm, but when will they end? Find out what's illegal and what happens if you break the law
[South Australia] is also reopening university and Tafe tutorials, public libraries, pools, churches and community halls. The SA government has also already also welcomed students back into classrooms for term two. On-the-spot fines of $1,000 still will only be applied to those who are gathering in groups larger than 10.
A Student Criticized China and Now His University Is Threatening to Expel Him
Drew Pavlou posed outside Confucius Institute at University of Queensland in a hazmat suit; case renews tensions over Chinese influence
Foreign students show Morrison at his most flexible - and stubborn
The wording was guarded, so it was easy to miss the implications when the announcement was made last Friday. But the Morrison government is quietly laying the groundwork to reopen the borders to international students even as it refuses to offer a lifeline to universities during the lockdown.
Federal government asks universities for help bringing back international students
"We are welcoming of proposals for universities - subject to it being at the same time as their general student populations - to look at means of bringing back through supervised, stringent quarantine, international students," he told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
How Government Leaders Promote Hate Crimes, Xenophobia
The majority of racist incidents reported – 62 percent – were against women. Australia's Human Rights Commission also reported a spike in complaints about racist attacks. The Australian National University created a "prejudice census" to better collect information about the surge of incidents linked to Covid-19.
FED: Unis asked for international student plans
Universities Australia is working with health and immigration officials on an overarching framework. The peak body says institutions will be in a position to have detailed discussions with their state governments once the commonwealth has agreed to the basic ground rules. But it says the sector will need to have resumed face-to-face teaching before international students return. "Universities and students need to be ready when government decides to relax border restrictions," chief executive Catriona Jackson told AAP.
University staff feel pain of plummet in overseas students
A vote on Wednesday proposes cutting university staff pay to try to save jobs. But even if it passes, universities have to urgently remake their business models.
Australian Committee for Public Education holds online forum on COVID-19 and the universities crisis
The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) held a vital public forum last Sunday on “The COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis in the universities.” Over 50 people participated, including academics, university professional staff, school teachers, TAFE employees and university students.
Calls to allow international students back to rebuild education sector
"In the same way that we are planning how to reopen businesses in main streets and shopping centres, we need a plan of action to ensure these students return to our universities, TAFEs and private training institutions as soon as possible." … The NSW Government's announcement of a $20 million support package providing emergency accommodation, legal support and a Service NSW hotline was a great first step, Mr Beard said, and will help thousands of international students stranded in Australia without support.
How coronavirus will HELP Australia: Why beating the pandemic MONTHS before Europe and the U.S. could be a boon for our exports, universities... and international reputation
Students finishing high school might not want to go to university at home because they're in lockdown and are seeing Australians getting back to the pub already.' Georg Chmiel, executive chairman of Chinese property market analysis firm Juwai, said Asian parents were keen to send the children out of harm's way. 'Chinese marketers tell parents that their children's health will be better protected if they switch from studying in the U.S. or UK to Australia,' he said. 'I know it is simplistic, but you can understand why some parents are persuaded. People are scared. …’
International students rethinking plans to study in Australia if not allowed to return by second semester
Almost a quarter of international university students who are enrolled in Australia are still overseas and it's feared many may not come back.
Australia's NSW pushes to get int'l students back as universities suffer
"Regional universities won't survive unless they can get some of their students back. We are contemplating how we can accelerate that." The premier noted that this was still in the "formative stage" and discussions were still underway with federal governments. The federal government has previously outlined the possibility of allowing international students travel in stage three of its plan to lift restrictions. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt on Wednesday urged universities to put forward feasible solutions to bring international students back to campuses. "We are welcoming of proposals for universities to look at means of bringing back through supervised, stringent quarantine, international students," Hunt said. "That is something that both state and federal governments would be willing to consider." The sector's peak body Universities Australia has estimated that more than 21,000 jobs are at risk in the next six months due to a significant decline in international students enrolments.
Australian universities in for ‘world of pain’ if borders remain closed to international students
Many universities will face severe financial difficulty if lucrative market can not be revived, Queensland university chancellor says
Hundreds of university jobs lost already due to pandemic
The coronavirus has led to hundreds of academics and general university staff in Australia losing their jobs. Many more are expected to join them following a massive fall in revenues as foreign student numbers plummet.
Australian student accommodation takes a hit, but strong bounce back expected
"Australia has either accidentally or deliberately created an incredible competitive advantage against the UK and the US, who are our main competitors in attracting international students," the university director says. "There's potential that we could become more attractive as an international student market because of the approach that we've taken. If you're an international student, would you want to go into the US in the next three-to-four years? Probably not. And the same goes for the UK."
'Our greatest challenge': How to rebuild the ACT's virus-struck economy?
He said there were concerns for the higher education sector, which has been one of the pillars of the ACT's economic strength. The foreign student market was worth more than $1 billion to the ACT economy in the past financial year, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the value of all international service exports. The closure of Australia's borders to contain the virus has decimated sector, denying universities tens of thousands of full-fee paying international students. There is no time frame for reopening the borders and even when they do, there are no guarantees that students will rush back in the same numbers.
Coronavirus: Time to court overseas students
…Australia has a chance to gain a "first-mover advantage" for its $40bn-a-year export industry if state governments unite to restart entry of international students. Mr Honeywood is chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia and chairman of the joint government-industry taskforce on the education sector's pandemic response.
The issue is crucial for universities' budgets. Universities Australia estimates its members will lose up to $4.6bn this year as a result of the virus, leading to the loss of 21,000 full-time academic, research and administrative jobs, Tim Dodd has reported. Despite the prospective losses as institutions put their houses in order, about 80 per cent of the international students who normally come to Australia in the first half of the year are here and studying, Scott Morrison told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "The way it's talked about, you'd think they weren't," he said.
Stage two of Victoria’s tough lockdown restrictions will be eased
“…Universities are planning for students to return to lectures on campus as early as June. Libraries, study hubs and cafeterias would also reopen. Announcements are imminent but dependent on the Federal Government further relaxing coronavirus restrictions…”
Revive unis by funding foreign student quarantine, urges opposition
Borders should be reopened for international students and the Victorian government should fund their 14-day hotel quarantine to help revive a higher education sector crippled by coronavirus, the state opposition says. …
It said revitalising the higher education industry, which in 2018 generated $11.8 billion in export revenue and supported almost 80,000 jobs, was vital to Victoria's economy. More than 650,000 international students currently in Australia have struggled to make ends meet since the coronavirus state of emergency was declared in March. The vast majority have lost their jobs and have been ineligible for hardship funding.
The class of 2020: What it's like to be graduating in Australia amid coronavirus
In accordance with state-specific bans on large gatherings, universities have been postponing mid-year graduation ceremonies since March, with many students instead graduating ‘in absentia’, meaning they still receive their qualifications - just without attending a ceremony. Those students will be invited to attend a rescheduled ceremony when restrictions lift.