Evidence-based
campusreview . com . au industry & research
Budget 2023
What ’ s in it for higher education .
By Eleanor Campbell
More university placements to facilitate Australia ’ s nuclear submarine endeavours and clinical spots to attract nursing graduates were among the key tertiary spends included in this year ’ s federal budget . Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his second budget on Tuesday , which prioritised easing inflationary pressures and lowering out-of-pocket
Treasurer Jim Chalmers . Picture : NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman .
health costs for Australians “ under the pump .”
“ We know there are still people struggling to find work and struggling to get by ,” Chalmers said in his speech . “ The pressures on the budget are acute .” The government allocated $ 127m over four years to fund 4,000 additional commonwealth supported university places to support the AUKUS nuclear submarine program .
About 800 of these places will be reserved for South Australian universities .
The four-phase plan , which the government estimates will cost up to
$ 368b , will see a peak of up to 4,000 jobs created to design and build nuclear submarines in SA .
Flinders university struck a deal with Manchester university in March to deliver a nuclear master ’ s program and PhD level research training to help build the workforce required to facilitate the deal .
Medicare reform was Chalmers ’ budget “ centrepiece ” with a record $ 3.5b to triple bulk billing incentives for GP ’ s .
Chalmers said this move will benefit about 11 million people , including five million children .
To encourage more registered nurses and midwives to undertake postgraduate studies , the government allocated $ 50.2m to establish primary care and midwifery scholarships .
According to government modelling , demand for nurses in Australia will soon significantly exceed supply , with a projected shortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses by 2025 .
The government also allocated $ 31.6m over two years from to support training for international medical students . ■
Evidence-based
La Trobe receives $ 2.5m donation to fund literacy clinics in Victoria .
By Laura Mazzitelli
An Australian university ’ s push to overhaul literacy education has attracted a sizable donation to support evidence-based learning in rural and regional areas .
The Bertalli Foundation donated $ 2.5 million over five years to La Trobe University to help establish literacy
clinics for children struggling with reading and writing .
The donation will also help fund research into how rural and regional children are taught during the first three years of school .
“ We know that children who are confident readers are more engaged with their learning have fewer behavioural and emotional problems , are more likely to complete Year 12 , and are less likely to have contact with the youth justice system ,” La Trobe ’ s education faculty head Professor Joanna Barbousas said .
“ Despite increasing awareness of the science of learning approach , many schools are teaching children to read using methods for which the empirical evidence base is weak or non-existent – leaving too many children behind .”
In 2020 , the Standing Committee on Employment , Education and Training issued a report which identified overall lower education attainment rates in Australians from regional and remote areas .
The release of the 2022 NAPLAN data also revealed students in regional and rural areas had lower averages in literacy and numeracy than those in metropolitan areas .
Philanthropist Neville Bertalli said he first saw the ‘ incredible difference ’ evidencebased reading and writing programs made while working with Victorian schools .
“ Not only did the children enjoy school more , their NAPLAN results improved ,” he said .
“ We were so excited by these outcomes we wanted to multiply our efforts – and recognised that La Trobe is a leader in this space and has academics with the passion and deep expertise to bring our vision to life .”
This is not the first gift the Bertalli Foundation has made to a university .
In 2011 , the Bertalli Foundation donated scholarship financial assistance to Melbourne university to assist highperforming students that completed school in rural or isolated areas .
The gift continued to support students in undergraduate commerce degrees with many who have gone on to forge careers at global organisations .
Part of Bertalli ’ s donation to La Trobe will also fund the creation of a Science of Learning Schools ( SoLS ) program .
As part of the initative , pre-service teachers studying in Victoria will be able to enter a handful of ‘ exemplary schools ’ to gain practical teaching experience . ■
17