Download: CAPA’s response to the Review of the ARC Consultation Paper
The aim of the Review is to consider the role and purpose of the ARC within the Australian research system so it can meet current and future needs and maintain the trust of the research sector.
The Review will consider how the ARC’s legislation can be aligned with comparable research agencies in Australia and overseas, current and proposed activities, and develop a clear focus on objectives and processes to drive renewed ambition within the organisation.
The Review will also consider whether the scope of the current legislation is sufficient to support an effective and efficient university research system and provide recommendations.
Our submission addresses the concerns of postgraduate students in relation to the consultation prompts provided in Terms of Reference.
Download: Response to the University Accords
CAPA is concerned with the current state of public universities in Australia as not-for-profit higher education providers created to serve the public good. We recognise the responsibility for higher education to form ethical and critical capacities in the population, specifically in the Humanities.
Universities are responsible for nurturing public intellectuals who participate in knowledge generation to benefit their communities and society. These institutions should be free, secular, diverse, democratic, socially accountable, and publicly funded and controlled, recognising that the public system is the most appropriate means of delivering educational services based on social equity and academic freedom.
We believe universities and academia are about the preservation, transmission and extension of knowledge for its own sake, the development of critical capacities and reasoning in an environment of vigorous academic freedom, and which actively fosters the development of abilities to challenge the status quo of one’s society.
Download: Response to the inquiry into Australia’s tourism and international education sectors.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Australia, like many other countries around the world, and has allowed us to recognise the vulnerabilities within industry sectors. Throughout the pandemic, CAPA and NATSIPA have been vocal in the media and in submissions highlighting the inadequate support for international students and the consequence of inaction.
The COVID restrictions highlighted many inequalities between international students and their domestic counterparts. Unstable income flow, inadequate social or family support network, unexpected changes to academic progression and visa restrictions negatively affect international students’ experience. Consequently, these barriers are likely to have contributed to the slow recovery of international student enrolments.
For international students, Australia was a selection from a list of countries that could have invested in. their education. They would agree to the conditions of a student visa and contribute to Australia’s economy through employment and paying taxes. From their perspective, they had chosen Australia over other countries that also offered a world-class education.
At the height of the pandemic, international students in Australia had hoped their choice was worthy of recognition by governments and universities and that they would respond compassionately to this unprecedented crisis. Sadly the response fell short of their expectations leaving many disappointed and treated as ‘cash cows’.
Our submission will address the impact of the loss of international students on the higher education sector and make recommendations that will restore credibility among international students.
