Victorian public school teachers want a 4-day week trial. What could this mean for schools?
JohnnyGreig/ Getty Images When we think about jobs you can do from home, you may not immediately picture a school teacher. But as Victoria debates a new right to work from home, the state’s teachers are asking what this might mean for them. The Victorian teachers’ union wants the state government to trial a four-day […]
I’m a drowning prevention researcher – my kid’s school swimming carnival shocked me
Pixabay/ Pexels It is swimming carnival season in Australia. This typically means children from about Year 2 and up are asked to swim a distance of 50 metres or one length of an Olympic-size pool – if they say they can. As a parent of primary school kids, I recently went to my child’s carnival […]
How can unis balance academic freedom with the need to protect against antisemitism?
Australian students are returning to university campuses for the start of the academic year. They do so amid highly charged debates around racism and antisemitism. Australian universities have been accused both of failing to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and failing to protect the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students and staff. A […]
More women are professors, but gender gaps continue to plague NZ universities
Wikipedia Commons, CC BY-NC-ND Universities play a crucial role in achieving gender equality, but persistent disparities in leadership, pay and research opportunities continue to shape women’s careers in academia. Globally, only 36% of senior academics are women. In Aotearoa New Zealand, research revealed striking gender imbalances in both pay and leadership appointments across all eight […]
Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them
There is a growing number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services, including day cares. A serious incident is one that seriously compromises the health, safety or wellbeing of a child. There were 160 such incidents per 100 services in 2024–25. This is up from 148 and 139 in the previous two years. These […]
‘Not met their duty of care’: new report finds racism is widespread at Australian unis
Racism is a “widespread” and “systemic” problem in Australian universities, a major new report has found. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, about 80% of surveyed Indigenous, Chinese, African, Jewish and Middle Eastern students and staff say they have experienced racism at university. Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman described the findings in the Racism@Uni […]
Serious incidents in childcare centres are still rising. Why?
The number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services – including long daycare – is increasing. According to a new Productivity Commission report, there were 160 such incidents per 100 services in 2024-25. This is up from 148 and 139 in the previous two years. A serious incident is one that seriously compromises the […]
6 tips to survive and thrive in your first year of university
Photo by RDNE Stock project/Pexels University study is a major commitment and is quite different to high school. This big new phase of life can feel both daunting and exciting. But many first years don’t have anyone they can ask for advice on transitioning from school to uni, or may be the first in their […]
Worried AI means you won’t get a job when you graduate? Here’s what the research says
August De Richelieu/ Pexels The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has warned young people will suffer the most as an AI “tsunami” wipes out many entry-level roles in coming years. Tasks that are eliminated are usually what entry-level jobs do at present, so young people searching for jobs find it harder to […]
School breaks make up more than an hour of the day. Should they be considered part of learning?
Johnny Greig/ Getty Images Most public debate about schooling focuses on what happens inside the classroom – on lessons, tests and academic results. But students also spend significant time at school outside formal classes. While break times vary between Australian schools, a 2026 study suggests average recess and lunch periods take up about 12-16% of […]