Over the last 40 years, higher education has moved from the periphery to the centre of Australian life. As recently as the mid- 1970s, only three out of every hundred working-age Australians had a higher education qualification. By 2012, the proportion had increased to 25 per cent. If current policies are successful, by 2025 40...

Graduate Winners provides a framework for public spending on higher education. It sets out when public benefit or fairness considerations justify public spending. Public benefits include higher tax revenues, graduates using their skills to assist others, and general attributes such as greater civic engagement and tolerance. In theory, government spending on higher education can create...

Australia’s higher education system is entering one of its most significant years in recent history. To meet a government goal of 40% of young Australian adults holding a bachelor’s degree or above by 2025, restrictions on undergraduate student numbers have been lifted: public universities can now offer as many or as few places as they...

The paper argues that the practical effect of banning, capping or disclosing political donations is to limit public influence. In a liberal democracy, governments should not select or limit their critics and rivals. Key points: • Campaign finance law covers the role of money in politics; this paper focuses on donations to political parties and...

In December 2008, the federal government received the Review of Australian Higher Education: Final Report, prepared by a policy review committee chaired by former Vice-Chancellor Denise Bradley. The education minister, Julia Gillard, has indicated that she will give her response to it in early March 2009. One of the Bradley report’s key recommendations is to...