EDUCATION
Policy
Australia should 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 Australia should:
- 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:
- Encouraging international students whose main intention is immigration is a false economy. 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.
Sign up to our eNewsletter today: CLICK HERE
