1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: Bunjelung Cargotten woman from Gadighal Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 5 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: Straight Island and nations. We pay our respects to the 6 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: first peoples of these countries, both past and present. 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Just a warning on this episode, we will be talking 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 2: about sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, 9 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 2: you can call one eight hundred respect. 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 3: Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Monday, 11 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 3: the twenty fourth of July. 12 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 2: I'm Tom Crowley, I an Nicople and we're standing in 13 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 2: for Sam and Zara. 14 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 3: Just for today, the government is scrapping the Rule Nina 15 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 3: which says failing a university subject makes you ineligible for 16 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 3: a hex loan. It's just one announcement off the back 17 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 3: of a new report commissioned by the government looking at 18 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 3: how to improve higher education in Australia. There's set to 19 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 3: be a major shakeup to Australia's university sector. 20 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 4: Reporter says universities need to rethink how they treat their students. 21 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 4: To improve retention rates and outcomes rich, poor, City, Bush, 22 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 4: black and white. We need to set up a system 23 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 4: that's sustainable for the long term that helps all young 24 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 4: people get a crack at university. 25 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 3: We'll let you know what the report found and what 26 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 3: changes we can expect in the deep dive, But first, 27 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:15,639 Speaker 3: what's making headlines this morning. 28 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: Major fires on the Greek island of Rhodes have led 29 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 2: to thousands being evacuated, with temperatures across the country hitting 30 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 2: forty five degree celsius. A number of European neighbors have 31 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: sent firefighting resources to the area. Meanwhile, a number of 32 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: key tourist sites in the country remains shut during the 33 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: hottest times of the day. 34 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 3: Big W says it will be stopping an in store 35 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 3: announcement affirming its support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, 36 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 3: which will be voted on in a referendum later this year. 37 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 3: Big W was playing a message as part of an 38 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 3: acknowledgment of country across its stores, but it will be 39 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 3: now taking that message down based on customer and store 40 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 3: team feedback. 41 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 2: The Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia has been canceled after 42 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 2: the lead singer of India banned the nineteen seventy five. 43 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 2: Matt Healey attacked the country's leadership over the anti LGBT laws. 44 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 2: Heally said, I do not see the point of inviting 45 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: the nineteen seventy five to a country and then telling 46 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 2: us who we can have sex with before kissing beast 47 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 2: player Ross McDonald. Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia and 48 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 2: can attract a twenty year prison sentence. 49 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 3: And the good news, a possible solution for disposing nuclear 50 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 3: waste has been discovered by researchers at the University of Houston. 51 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 3: Molecular crystals capable of capturing radioactive pollutants could be used 52 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 3: for waste management and other sustainability related applications. All right, 53 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 3: So Nina, we're talking about universities today because the government 54 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 3: has released a fairly wide ranging review on the university sector. 55 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 3: So it gives us a chance to spend a little 56 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 3: bit of time talking about it. 57 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: A long awaited review as well. 58 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 3: It was a while coming, and I think, you know, 59 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 3: sometimes when we get these big reviews, they can be 60 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 3: a little bit doom and gloom, and there are some 61 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 3: negatives to come to later on. But I think we 62 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 3: should start with universities really as a great Australian success story. 63 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 3: We're coming off decades in Australia where attendance rates at 64 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 3: universities have increased. The university industry, if you like, is 65 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 3: a massive export. We have so many international students who 66 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 3: come to Australia. Australian universities punch above our weight on 67 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,119 Speaker 3: the global scale, and university attendance here at home has 68 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 3: made a huge difference to the lives of many people. 69 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 3: But just like any sector, there are issues and this 70 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 3: government report focused on some of those issues. It asked, 71 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 3: I guess three key questions that we might focus on today. 72 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 3: The first of those is how well are universities doing 73 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 3: and offering opportunities to as broad across section of people 74 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 3: as possible, and in particular to giving educational opportunities to 75 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 3: people from disadvantage backgrounds. Then once they get there, are 76 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 3: they getting a good experience? Are they safe and happy? 77 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 3: And do they have the supports that they need? And 78 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 3: then finally, is the way that we're funding universities and 79 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 3: the way that we're asking students to contribute to them 80 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 3: is that working. Are there ways that that can be improved? 81 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 3: So I think they're the kind of three questions and 82 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 3: maybe that I mean that last one Nina about the funding, 83 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 3: might be a good place to start, because that's where 84 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 3: the big headline was. 85 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 2: The headline that TDA ran with was that the government 86 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: is scrapping a rule which says university students who fail 87 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: more than fifty percent of their subjects currently aren't eligible 88 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 2: for hecks. So what did the reports say. 89 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 3: Well, that rule is on the way out, it seems so. 90 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 3: It hasn't been around for very long. That rule. It 91 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 3: was introduced by the Morrison government in twenty twenty and 92 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 3: it only came into effect last year. And the idea 93 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 3: was that if students fail more than half their subjects, 94 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 3: they can't get student loan assistance. So basically they can't 95 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 3: get a hex loan and they have to pay upfront. Now, 96 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 3: what this report found was that that disproportionately disadvantages people 97 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 3: who are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and from regional I guess, 98 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 3: people for whom there are already barriers to university, and 99 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 3: particularly in the low sees case, people who are already 100 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 3: worried about the cost of going to university having this 101 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 3: additional threat over your head that if you fail you're 102 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 3: going to have to pay more. It seemed to be 103 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 3: a barrier. 104 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 4: At Western Sydney University this year. It has already led 105 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 4: to one thousand, three hundred and fifty students being forced 106 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 4: to quit, most of them from poorer backgrounds. More than 107 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 4: thirteen thousand students at twenty seven universities have already been 108 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 4: hit by this. Instead of forcing them to quit, we 109 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 4: should be helping them to pass. 110 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 3: That's the Minister for Education, Jason Claire, and the report 111 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 3: recommended acting that rule, Jason Claire suggesting the government will 112 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 3: follow through. 113 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 2: So that was the headline that we ran with at TDA. 114 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 2: What other points were made in this report? 115 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 3: So they're already really a couple. It was a long 116 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 3: report that had some really interesting thoughts which we'll get 117 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 3: to about the broader state of the sector and the system. 118 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 2: And it is an interim report, right, you still need 119 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 2: to reap for a final report and recommendations on the 120 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 2: way forward. 121 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, so this I think the Minister is conceiving of. 122 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:07,919 Speaker 3: This is the beginning of a process. You can call 123 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 3: it a road map, you can call it a I 124 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 3: think they call it an accord. You know, you use 125 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 3: whatever buzzword you like this is the beginning of a conversation. 126 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 3: But the specific items on the list there were very 127 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 3: few of them, and they were mostly about this question 128 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 3: of how do you get people from disadvantage backgrounds into UNI. 129 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 3: So as well as this fifty percent pass rule, there 130 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 3: was a suggestion to create more regional university hubs, and 131 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 3: the idea there was really all about I guess, visibility 132 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 3: and accessibility across the country rather than just one campus 133 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 3: in a major city, you know, bringing university education to 134 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 3: people where they live, to combat regional barriers in particular. 135 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 3: Then there were also suggestions about how to get more 136 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 3: First Nation students into university and specifically to guarantee a 137 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 3: fully funded place for all First Nation students who are 138 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 3: eligible for their desired course. So that's something that's currently 139 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 3: in place of First Nation students from regional, rural and 140 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 3: remote areas. This would broaden it to all First Nation 141 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 3: students and that was in recognition of the fact that 142 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 3: although First Nations participation at universities has increased over the 143 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 3: last decade or more, they still remain underrepresented relative to 144 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 3: their share of the Australian population in the university population. 145 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 3: So those were kind of the key action points for 146 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 3: the government in the shorter term, but there are a 147 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 3: lot of broader things to say about some directions the 148 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 3: government might consider going in future. 149 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 2: One of those other areas that the report brought up 150 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 2: for consideration was to do with the way the help 151 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 2: Hex system is currently working. And I did notice that 152 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 2: when we put up the story on Instagram, a lot 153 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 2: of the comments related to Hex's debt and the way 154 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 2: that indexation is occurring. What did the report find. 155 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, it is, it's an issue. I guess a lot 156 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 3: of our audience probably has HEX debts, and so it's 157 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 3: understandable that that's a part of the system that they 158 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 3: focus on a whole lot, this question of how much 159 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 3: they are asked to contribute to the cost of their degree, 160 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 3: and in a cost of living context, when people are 161 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 3: facing a whole lot of financial strain. I think that 162 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 3: the burden of hextets is something that a lot of 163 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 3: people have been conscious of. And look, spoiler alert, this 164 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 3: report hasn't recommended tearing down the HEX system and making 165 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 3: the whole thing free. And I know there'll be some 166 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 3: people in the audience who wander about that issue, So 167 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 3: I guess, yeah, it is important. I think to give 168 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 3: a little bit of a context for why we have 169 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 3: the system that we have, so I guess Australia did 170 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 3: used to have free education for a short period of 171 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 3: time starting from about the seventies. The reason that we 172 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 3: moved instead to this hex loan system was basically the 173 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 3: idea that university graduates make a lot more money across 174 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 3: their lifetime than non university graduates, and this was the 175 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 3: government at the time suggesting that they should then make 176 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 3: a contribution to part of the cost of their degree, 177 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 3: so we don't pay for it all. The government funds 178 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 3: a portion of our degree that we don't even see. 179 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 3: It just funds universities directly, but Australian university graduates are 180 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 3: asked to pay for a portion. They're able to take 181 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 3: out a loan, and that loan, as I'm sure many 182 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 3: people know, is income contingent, so you only have to 183 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 3: start paying it back once you earn above a certain level. 184 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 3: Currently that level is about fifty thousand. And the idea 185 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 3: there again is that it's you know, once you start 186 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 3: earning money out in your career that you have to repay. 187 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 3: The debt doesn't follow you when you die. There's no 188 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 3: interest on that debt. It does get updated to match inflation, 189 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 3: so there are some complications there, but the idea again 190 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 3: of this system is that university graduates, you can almost 191 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 3: think about it like a tax on unigraduates in reflection 192 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,199 Speaker 3: of the higher earnings that they're expected to have. 193 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 2: Okay, so that's the context what has actually been recommended 194 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 2: in this report moving forward. 195 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,199 Speaker 3: So, like I say, the review didn't recommend, you know, 196 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 3: tearing the whole system down, but it did point to 197 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 3: some I guess quirks of the way the system is 198 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:00,239 Speaker 3: structured that might be a little bit unfair to a degree, 199 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 3: no pun intended. So for example, one of them, and 200 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,559 Speaker 3: an issue that we've certainly talked about on this podcast 201 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 3: is indexation. So your hex det gets updated every year 202 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 3: in line with inflation, and that's not something we've had 203 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 3: much cause to notice until recently, when inflation has been 204 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 3: quite high and a lot of people got a big 205 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 3: bill shock on their HEX debt in the last year 206 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 3: or so. The review acknowledged concerns about the way that 207 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 3: is structured and the way that that's calculated, and whether 208 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 3: there might be fairer methods. Again of nothing specific for 209 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 3: the government at this point, but a recognition that might 210 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 3: be one to look at. And the other one is 211 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 3: this idea of repayment cliffs. So it comes back to 212 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 3: I said before, it's roughly fifty thousand dollars is the 213 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 3: level where you have to start repaying. And the way 214 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 3: that's structured is a little strange, because if you earn 215 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 3: a dollar below the amount, you pay nothing, and then 216 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 3: if you earn a dollar above the amount, you suddenly 217 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 3: have to pay hundreds of dollars. And that's applied in 218 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,439 Speaker 3: an uneven way that can actually create these weird circumstances 219 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 3: where sometimes you could get a pay rise at work 220 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 3: and actually be worse off because you trigger one of 221 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 3: these extra repayment thresholds. And so the review also recommended 222 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,079 Speaker 3: taking a look about whether that structure is fair, whether 223 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 3: that structure's sort of distorting people's financial situation. So a 224 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 3: couple of of kinks in the system that it recommended 225 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 3: ironing out on the HEX front. But if you're hoping 226 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 3: to see an end to the HEX system, certainly this 227 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 3: review hasn't gone there. 228 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 2: Tom One of the reasons I was really keen to 229 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 2: see this interim report is that a little while ago 230 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 2: on the podcast, Zara interviewed Shanna Brenner from end REAP 231 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 2: on campus. They've been calling for reform in response to 232 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 2: sexual violence at universities. Did we see anything in this 233 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 2: report to address those concerns? 234 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, there was a little bit. It did touch on, 235 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:54,439 Speaker 3: I guess, a range of issues about the human experience 236 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 3: of going to university because I think, I mean, we've 237 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 3: been talking a little bit so far about I guess 238 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 3: the transactional nature of universities, you know, getting as many 239 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 3: people in as possible, getting them degrees, and then how 240 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 3: do you make them pay for it? But universities aren't 241 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 3: just transactional. They're not just conveyor belts to a job, 242 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 3: you know, they're places where people have their formative years. 243 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 3: I suppose people do a lot of growing up at university. 244 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 3: They spend a lot of time there building contacts that 245 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 3: will last them for a lifetime, thinking about what they 246 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 3: want to do with their lives. It's really important to 247 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 3: make sure that universities are a nurturing and welcoming environment 248 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 3: and of course a safe environment. And I think that 249 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 3: that was definitely a theme of this review and something 250 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 3: that Education Minister Jason Clair acknowledged in his press club speech, 251 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 3: basically suggesting that he was going to raise this issue 252 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 3: with state and territory ministers. 253 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 4: Don't underestimate the seriousness with which I take this or 254 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 4: my willingness to act. Recommendation here is that this is 255 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 4: the way to do it, and I want to implement 256 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 4: that recommendation. 257 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 2: Tom will definitely be keeping an eye on this one, 258 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 2: and I'm sure we'll get you back on the pod 259 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 2: when we know more. 260 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, we've got the road map. Time to start driving 261 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 3: down right. 262 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this episode of 263 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 2: The Daily Ohs. As always, we really appreciate it. If 264 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 2: you're listening on Spotify, there's a little box that you 265 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 2: can tell us what you're thinking if you liked the episode, 266 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 2: and any feedback you might have. Sam and Zara will 267 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 2: be back tomorrow. Until then, have an excellent day.