Ashley Flavell

Adjunct Associate Professor Di Winkler and Emeritus Professor Jacinta Douglas have published a Conversation article: ‘Choice and control: Will NDIS reforms mean people with disability don’t get to decide who they live with?’    Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a draft NDIS reform bill has been tabled.    The proposed legislation references the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the first time. It also aims to deliver fair, consistent and flexible funding so participants can make better use of NDIS resources.     But the authors argue that “some in the disability sector are worried that, despite some constructive recommendations, reform plans could deny people with disability the option to choose where they live and with whom.”    Why? The authors argue that the policy assumption that “people with disability need to live together for there to be efficiencies in the system and their supports” is a risk. So too is the 1:3 funding ratio for support workers, “meaning on average, one support worker to three people needing support.”    “The current business model in disability housing sees providers delivering as much in-person support as possible with no reward for supporting people to become more independent,” they write.    “Future NDIS policy needs to incentivise new user-led services that leverage technology and the built environment to improve the quality, efficiency and outcomes for NDIS participants.”    Read the article: https://bit.ly/3xIjqDa    #LaTrobeAlliedHealthHumanServicesAndSport #Conversation #NDIS 

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Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) is disappointed at the Australian Government’s 2024 Budget. There is very little to support students and providers in the independent sector, while new measures in international education threaten the viability of this industry. The Government will introduce legislation into Parliament and has released a draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework to regulate international students numbers. IHEA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Peter Hendy stated that "IHEA looks forward to being actively consulted to ensure that the important role independent providers play in educating international students is sustained". The response to the Final Report of the Australian Universities Accord establishes the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), Dr Hendy said. "The absence of a clear statement that ATEC will include a Commissioner to represent the interests of independent higher education makes it difficult for IHEA to endorse the establishment of ATEC". IHEA notes the decision to backdate the indexation of Higher Education Loan Payments to 1 June 2023 to be the lower of Consumer Price Indexation or Wage Price Indexation. Irrespective of the model, for students at independent providers the indexation is on top of an extra 20 per cent loan fee (or tax) on their HELP loan only they pay to the Government. Dr Hendy noted "that the Budget did not address the inequitable treatment of students who access FEE-HELP, despite promising commentary in the Final Report of the Accord". A Commonwealth Prac Payment from June 2025 for students in teaching, nursing and midwifery, and social work is limited to students in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), which are overwhelmingly offered at public universities. Dr Hendy reflected that "IHEA are disappointed at the exclusion of students at independent providers who may be eligible for this payment. IHEA continues to advocate for CSP to be available as a student-centred support, irrespective of whether a domestic student chooses to attend a public or independent provider". We also note that the Government will also undertake a strategic examination of Australia’s research and development system.      

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Kia ora tātou For this research to work, I need 300 survey participants. Having a larger base of participants will make the research more reliable, more generalisable, and with a lower margin of error. This would make the voices of Māori public servants "valid" in the international research sense. To date, I've had 31 [update: 115!] completions. While I could write something about a much lower sample, the results would not be convincing enough to influence policy. So, if you are a Māori public servant, PLEASE consider completing this survey and sharing it with your networks. Without a much higher number of completions, this research loses its power to raise the voices of our Māori public servants.

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In modern societies, elite privilege is not simply a by-product of wealth; it’s an organising principle guiding behaviours that secure exclusive benefits for elites. An extract from our new book, The Privileged Few (by Clive Hamilton and Myra Hamilton) has been published in The Conversation. Read it here https://lnkd.in/g4MZk9sG In the book we argue that: * elite private schools are the foremost unifying institution of the ruling elite, instilling in them a shared identity as the natural leaders of the nation * shaming people because of where they live, the school they attended, or their parents’ occupation is common. In a survey for the book, half of young adults admitted to feeling ashamed * some report others ‘cringing’ when they mention their suburbs or the school they attended. So they don't tell people where they live.

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Authorship, Peer Review and Publication seminar series The world of academic publishing and peer review is complex. How is a researcher supposed to navigate it?    QUT (Queensland University of Technology) researchers and higher degree research students are invited to attend this 2-part series about authorship, peer review and publication.   ⁠Authorship, Peer Review and Publication (1): Presubmission session Wednesday 5 June, 10am – 12pm, at Kelvin Grove campus or online This first session is designed to help with everything you need to do and know prior to the submission of your manuscript. It covers: Agreeing on authorship Publishing strategies, preprints, and journal selection Writing for publication Deceptive journals and conferences Originality and plagiarism and AI Tools Reporting Conflicts of Interest and acknowledging grants Cover letters, titles, and abstracts Copyright, rights management, and licensing ⁠ Authorship, Peer Review and Publication (2): Postsubmission session Thursday 6 June, 10:30am – 12pm, at Kelvin Grove campus or online. This second session is designed to help with everything you need to do and know prior to the submission of your manuscript. It covers: Journal peer review Responding to peer review Open scholarship and open access at QUT Publishing outputs at QUT Promoting your work after publication These sessions are open to QUT HDR students and staff and will be presented by the Office for Research Ethics and Integrity (OREI), Graduate Research Education and Development (GRED) team, and QUT Library's Office for Scholarly Communication. Further information and registration links are available at https://lnkd.in/gFZrUgYK

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The Group of Eight, representing Australia’s leading research-intensive universities, supports the Albanese Government’s announcement to conduct an Australian Human Rights Commission led review into racism. In response to demonstrations on campuses, Go8 universities have collectively signed a set of five key principles that condemn all forms of hate and prejudice, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism and religious intolerance.  The Go8 Principles on Demonstrations on Campus uphold the right of all Australians to freedom of speech, including the right to protest, provided those rights are exercised peacefully, within the law and with respect to not just the safety of all Australians, but the rights of freedom of speech of other groups with whom they may disagree. The Australian Human Rights Commission is the appropriate body to lead this inquiry to provide guidance on how best to address these concerning elements both on campus and in Australian society more generally. Read the Go8 Principles on Demonstrations on Campus here: https://lnkd.in/dZ9bdw6B Read the full media release here: https://lnkd.in/dhnGHjSD Vicki Thomson Mark Scott Anthony Albanese Jason Clare MP Sarah Henderson Australian Human Rights Commission Tim Dodd Julie Hare Conor Duffy Daniella White Caitlin Cassidy University of Adelaide The Australian National University University of Melbourne Monash University UNSW The University of Queensland University of Sydney The University of Western Australia

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This system should be integrated into the RTO’s strategic planning and decision-making processes.

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The Bystander Ally Project, a vision Aimee Smith and I have been developing during our PhD studies, has secured ✨ two social impact grants ✨ to begin implementation!   Our project will investigate the differences in bystander responses to sexual assault and sexual harassment post-incident. These insights will be used to strengthen trauma-informed support structures for effective organisational responses to the receipt of disclosures. We will also be designing evaluative resources that centre meaningful victim/survivor experience metrics to improve organisational responses. Anyone watching the news recently knows we need to do better in relation to gender-based violence, with the pressure on government and institutions to deliver building. Investing in research that examines effective and urgent solutions, and meaningful whole-of-institution evaluation is paramount.   Grateful to UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion for seeing the impact this project can have and investing in it, and UTS Business School for matching it. Excited to be partnering with the Universities Prevention Connection (UPC) on this journey. Academic wonder woman Claire Wright, Catharine Pruscino (she/her) and Respect.Now.Always University of Technology Sydney for coming on board is a gift! If you're wanting to know what this might mean for your organisation, or if funding is your gig - email me!   #UniversitiesAccord #ResearchFunding #GenderEquality #DoBetter #SocialImpact #CommunitySafety #Evaluation

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As the dust settles on the release of the 2024 Australian #FederalBudget, one of the sectors under the spotlight is higher education. The Government has used the budget to fund elements of the package recommended in the Australian Universities Accord Final Report, and pleasingly, much of this investment will go straight into the hands of students. Many of the Accord’s recommendations set out to even the playing field on a systemic level when it comes to participation in higher education. We welcome many of the measures in the budget which reflect this commitment, including: 🏥 Paid placements for teaching, nursing and midwifery, and social work students. 💸 Financial support for student loans. 🎓 Free enabling courses for university preparedness. ❤️ Demand driven funding for equity students. While the 2024 budget is a step in the right direction, there is still plenty to do. We must continue to advocate for the measures we know we need to best support our students to succeed, and to make sure higher education remains a cornerstone of progress and prosperity for all. Read more ➡ https://lnkd.in/gMvimN9Q Amy Persson University of Technology Sydney #AusPol #HigherEducation #Equity

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No final decision on jobs for migrant skills priority list: Jobs and Skills Australia Jobs and Skills Australia says it has not made any final decisions on the occupations that will go on a priority skills list for migrants. The Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Professor Barney Glover told Senate Estimates last week that a final decision on the new Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) will not be made until mid-August. “At the moment were in consultation, and will continue to be in consultation, and we’re listening to a whole range of organisations under our tripartite mandate,” Professor Glover said. There are over 700 occupations in scope for potential inclusion on the CSOL. JSA has grouped these occupations into three categories for consultation – a ‘confident on list’, a ‘confident off list’, and a ‘targeted for consultation’ group. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald last week claimed that yoga instructors, martial artists and dog handlers have made it onto the list, while some trades occupations have been left off, despite the drastic shortage of skills in the home building sector. Professor Glover said that JSA would take into account extensive data, advice and evidence from organisations about the suitability of certain occupations on the CSOL, including how well migrants do in the labour market when they arrive in Australia. The Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Natalie James said the work of JSA on the CSOL has been undertaken with the “utmost care and professionalism”. “JSA is an independent agency and they’re doing a very thorough job of providing this advice to the Immigration Minister and a very thorough job in engaging with a range of stakeholders.” https://lnkd.in/g5ZJS9nx

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Helpful and harmful social media use continues to attracts commentary in the news, most recently around its use by young people. Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing and cognitive psychologist Professor Melanie Takarangi researches how people anticipate and remember negative and traumatic personal experiences. Her work examines the impact of these experiences on people’s mental health and wellbeing in everyday life (e.g., via social media, vicarious exposure via loved ones) and in specific workplace contexts (e.g., police, military, and content moderation roles). She and her team are now examining adolescents’ exposure to distressing content on social media platforms, and the impact of that exposure. It is hoped the findings from this work will lead to policy improvements and interventions to enhance the mental health and resilience of young social media users. The project involves adolescents completing a single online survey followed by a brief online diary, daily for 7 days. For more information, please see below.

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Our article and Interesting SLR: VET teachers' experiences during and post COVID

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Better and Fairer Schools Agreement tied to reforms for improvement Last week, the Australian Government released the detail of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) which is a 10-year agreement developed with state and territory governments, non-government peak education bodies including the National Catholic Education Commission, and First Nations education representatives. The government’s reforms are designed to lift student outcomes, set targets and improve school funding transparency including a Year 1 phonics check and early years of schooling numeracy check; evidence-based teaching and targeted supports for students falling behind; greater wellbeing support; incentives to attract and retain teachers; and high quality professional learning and classroom resources. The Australian Government is offering increased funding for public schools of 2.5% with states and territories required to match a further 2.5% to bring them to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), which is tied to the new reforms for those states that sign on. Catholic schools already have a funding agreement in place until 2029 and reached the full SRS in 2023. The exception is Northern Territory (NT) public schools who will receive double the amount of funding (40%) from the federal government to come up to 100% of the SRS by 2029, and NT Catholic schools will receive a marginal increase of 0.71% in 2025, until 2029 when they will receive their full 20% from the NT government to bring them in line with public schools and other non-government schools in Australia. It is important to remember that all government funding to Catholic schools is means-tested and the amount of the SRS decreases according to the median income of families that attend the school. For example, if the SRS was $1 per student, public schools are currently receiving about 95 cents in the dollar with the government offering a further 2.5 cents and asking states to add 2.5 cents; non-government schools with the lowest income families are receiving the maximum 90 cents in the dollar; and schools with the highest income families are receiving 20 cents in the dollar. On average, Catholic schools receive around 75 cents in the dollar, with families expected to contribute to the shortfall. While Catholic education does not sign up to the BFSA directly, we are required to respond to, and deliver, on the reforms outlined by the government. These are largely in line with our national priorities to support learning and teaching, wellbeing and access for all students. An example is the development of the Mastery in Mathematics curriculum resources for the teaching of Years 7 and 8 mathematics with Ochre Education. This project will be expanded next year to include Year 9 mathematics and will be supported by an evaluation conducted by the University of Notre Dame Australia. Jacinta Collins National Catholic education executive director

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Deepen your understanding of the connections and interdependencies of wai (water) through a Te Ao Māori lens and learn how to build genuine relationships with mana whenua. The Cultural Significance and Importance of Wai module starts on 1 August. This learning opportunity is designed to give you greater cultural awareness, respect and understanding of Te Ao Māori within the water sector and what it means to put the health of the water first through giving effect to Te Mana o te Wai. You will learn about the obligations we have as tāngata (people) to freshwater management, and its relevance for all interconnected water including the three infrastructure waters: drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. The Māori world view (Te Ao Māori) acknowledges the interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and non-living things. This holistic approach, seeking to understand the whole concept, not just parts of it, is at the core of this module. Find out more https://lnkd.in/gYAB_8HJ Troy Brockbank #temanaotewai #teaoMāori

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We are excited to announce the release of two reports and accompanying fact sheets highlighting the wide-ranging economic, social and cultural impacts of the humanities, arts and social sciences in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. In Australia, 90 per cent of humanities, culture and social sciences graduates are in full-time employment three years after graduating and their salary is on par with other graduates at $82,000. Employers also have a 91 per cent rate of satisfaction with graduates' foundational skills. In New Zealand, half of all current Ministers have an arts degree and five of the last 10 Prime Ministers studied arts degrees. Some arts graduates in New Zealand will earn well in excess of $1 million more than people with no degree over their lifetime. Billions of dollars are also generated by arts-related industries and many thousands of jobs are created. In 2019-20, cultural and creative arts activity contributed $122.3 billion to the Australian economy or 6.2 per cent of GDP, while in New Zealand the screen industry generated $3.5 billion in revenue in 2017 and provided jobs for 16,200 people. But it’s not just the economy that benefits. Engagement with the arts can help us think creatively, improve our wellbeing and express ourselves. These reports provide a snapshot of some of the key avenues through which the humanities, arts and social sciences contribute to Australian and New Zealand life. See here to access these resources and read more about the impact of our disciplines. https://lnkd.in/grDp3T85

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Navigating your NDIS budget and understanding your plan can be overwhelming, but you're not alone in this journey. Many NDIS participants face challenges in comprehending budgets and maximizing their plans. At Kindess, we're here to offer valuable support every step of the way. From decoding complex budgeting terms to helping you identify and access the supports you need, our team is dedicated to empowering you to make the most of your NDIS plan. Let's work together to unlock the full potential of your support funding! 💼💡 #Kindess #NDIS #Disability #DisabilitySupport #Adelaide #NDISAdelaide #DisabilitySupportAdelaide

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