World news

Delight and alarm in equal measures, as political manoeuvres and drafting technicalities limit both casual employment and its antidote

As Australia’s climate turns back again, universities say the lessons of a horror summer have not been forgotten

Sacked neuropathologist Manuel Graeber says university was happy with his work before he lodged disclosure about management

Free tuition also to be switched from first to last year of tertiary study, under pact between new governing parties

With potentially worrying changes to Australia’s research security arrangements odds-on to proceed, universities want clarification on amendments

Wealth inequities ‘a learning tool’ in education geared to ‘whole-person formation’, forum hears

Court case raises conflict between academic freedom and universities’ duty of care, says barrister

Quality and resourcing also front of mind for academic heading first comprehensive education evaluation in decades

Top-ranked institutions’ contribution to equity should go further than ‘picking the top 10 students from every school’, experts say

Auckland failed to give public commentary the level of occupational protection that would be mandatory in the laboratory, says colleague of Siouxsie Wiles

Higher study can mean little to one’s pay packet and can in some cases reduce it, says research that raises questions about Universities Accord’s expansionary vision

Overseas universities could profit from ‘escape route’ role, as China’s women resist political pressure to produce the next generation

As country proposes tough new sanctions for sharing regulated technologies, except with the UK and US, sceptic asks whether nuclear submarine pact is worth the trouble

Linguistic fluency ‘seldom achieved’ and peripheral to ‘the jobs of today and the future’, Australian university claims

Locals with overseas qualifications are no longer welcome in China’s state-owned enterprises, conference hears

Australian study highlights gap between ‘statistically significant’ and ‘meaningful’

Brain researcher’s clash with University of Sydney administration follows exit from Imperial in earlier whistleblower row

Late researcher’s reform narrative chimes with Australian accord considerations

Australian researchers propose alternative way of redistributing university resources, but warn it won’t be easy

‘Free-for-all’ approach blunts universities’ impact in tackling complex societal challenges, says Australian consultant

SCU decision the latest sign of doom for workplace agreements that lack union support

The paperwork burden is declining, but so are the prospects of obtaining funds, new data shows

Research ‘challenges the view that barriers to university education are driven by socio-economic disadvantage’

New millennium has wrought ‘transformational’ change on Australian higher education, and much of it has been ‘negative’, seminar hears

All agree cross-disciplinary collaboration is hard, but researchers favour material incentives while executives want cultural change, study finds

Union and employer association welcome delay to resolve ‘unintended consequences’

Smaller rooms, repurposed golf courses, refurbished government buildings among the suggestions to tackle the ‘wicked problem’ of accommodating students in Australia

A convincing veneer of academic integrity can help bring about the real thing, finds literature review

Removing ‘speed bumps’ and abolishing the ‘bamboo ceiling’ would help to overcome Australia’s ‘self-inflicted brain drain’, forum hears

Commentators predict renewed emphasis on international education and change of ‘tone’ around indigenous issues

Committee also wants ‘Team Australia’ approach, bankrolled by a levy, to ‘open doors’ in Africa, Asia and Latin America

‘Fail rule’ iced and indigenous opportunities extended despite Senate battle

Australia’s proposed international education levy is replete with policy contradictions, new paper argues

Key group endorses amalgamation but recommends ‘additional risk management measures’

With opposition senators seeking retention of unpopular ‘fail rule’, bill’s passage appears far from assured

Growth rates run counter to government policy objectives, Australian conference hears

While Britain has gained ground as top-choice destination, it is being pipped by a resurgent Australia

Only a small fraction of casual academics are lecturers, Australian employer association says, but union challenges data

While universities bankroll more research from their own pockets they exercise less discretion about the things they study

Australian university to ‘review’ court’s dismissal of its appeal, as union urges it to abandon ‘stalling tactics’

With tuition fees no longer an issue of contention, higher education reverts to bit-part role in forthcoming election

While universities have their work cut out for them, skills forecasting agency says more graduates is not always the answer

Observers welcome efforts to tackle visa fraud but say new compliance efforts must be ‘robust’

With deadlines rushed and then missed, even the straightforward work of Australia’s major higher education review is looking anything but

Accord panel should take note that fee changes ‘don’t change behaviour’, researcher urges

Universities must focus on the student experience, but they also must clarify what students want that experience to be

Students want to be on campus but they still need a reason to go there, summit hears

While the process to replace Excellence in Research for Australia is a ‘black box’ exercise, new evaluation mechanisms hold promise

Research ecosystems need some ‘apoptosis’ as some cells emerge and others fade away, summit hears

‘The real world doesn’t come neatly compartmentalised,’ summit hears, in exploration of the ‘unique’ strengths of multidisciplinary research

Admission and retention of under-represented students must not rest on the goodwill of a few ‘teachers and role models’, Sydney summit hears

While councils might expect a response ‘after first tweet’, universities ‘lose credibility’ when they vacillate, THE World Academic Summit hears

Representative body backs collaboration between tertiary education sectors but questions TAFEs’ ‘instrumental’ role in degree-level apprenticeships

We support the idea but it needs funding, New Zealand universities say

Small windfalls and ‘passionate advocacy’ spare several dozen more redundancies at Victoria

As a parliamentary committee inquires into a proposed merger of two universities, institutional accounts suggest they coasted through the last big scare

Strong staffing increase in research-intensive institutions points to an uneven post-Covid recovery

Rhetorical ambition for a ‘more sustainable’ workforce not reflected in negotiations, union says

The gulf is growing between self-perpetuating middle management and the people who ‘produce the value’, Australian symposium hears

If Australia proceeds with a levy on international students’ fees, the money should only be used for students’ benefit, representative body argues