EDUCATION

Policy
Provide an affordable, world class education system that gives all Australians the skills and attributes they need to secure jobs and flourish in society.

Policy Methods (Federal & State)
To help achieve this Sustainable Australia Party will:

  • Better link education outcomes to contemporary secure job opportunities and employer needs.
  • Provide access to affordable and reliable child care and early childhood education, where needed.
  • Maintain, and where needed increase, funding for public schools.
  • Prioritise needs-based education funding as well as teacher and principal quality across the primary and secondary education system.
  • Encourage small class sizes in order to better enable teachers to help all students achieve their potential.
  • Maintain and enhance comprehensive sustainability and environmental education programs in school curricula.
  • Reduce all current HECS debts by 50 per cent.
  • Reduce all TAFE and university tertiary education fees by 50 per cent.
  • Offer free tertiary education in approved TAFE and university science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.
  • Better invest in university and institutional science and technology research and development to enhance Australia’s creativity, innovation and productivity.
  • Restore proper funding to universities in order to compensate for decreases in both education fees (above) and international student demand aligned to immigration objectives.(1)

Footnotes:

  1. Encouraging international students whose main intention is immigration is a false economy with grossly overstated 'export' benefits and brings serious corruption issues. A full enquiry into all aspects of Australia’s record high immigration programme is required, including infrastructure, youth unemployment and environmental costs. See SUSTAINABLE POPULATION & IMMIGRATION – AUSTRALIA policy.