POLICY & REFORM
campusreview.com.au
“[The first is the] creation of nearly 1000 new staffing
positions in teaching-focused academic work,” Rea says.
“[This] will hopefully, provide some jobs for some of the
thousands of people working casually and providing
more than half of the teaching in our universities.
“The other area where we are hoping to have growth
– and it’s in the agreement so it is legally enforceable – is
in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobs. This is across
all areas of academics, and general and professional staff.
Universities need to target the employment of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people.
“People will come to the universities as students if
there are staff at the universities, and Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities will have some faith
and trust in universities if there are their people there.”
She says despite the ground made up through
collective bargaining, the casualisation of academic staff
is still a problem, and will be in 2016.
“Unfortunately, universities keep enrolling students
without increasing the number of ongoing positions
and, instead, rely on [casual staff]. This has to have,
unfortunately, an adverse impact upon the quality of the
education students are receiving.”
JAMES LAWLER
PRESIDENT
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL
STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
‘STANDING AGAINST
BULLYING AND
HARASSMENT’
“There seems to be a disconnect
between higher education … and what the business and
social sectors need from graduates.”
These are the words of James Lawler, president
of the Australian Medical Students’ Association, who
says universities should concentrate on helping better
prepare students for the workforce.
“Medicine is not immune to this,” Lawler says.
“Throughout 2015, there has been a review,
commissioned by the Council of Australian
Governments, of the medical internship – the
mandatory year that follows graduation. It showed
that medical education and training … is not only not
matched up with the skillsets future doctors need, but
also is not what the community needs.”
Similar to the general student population’s situation,
Lawler says another big concern for medical students is
getting a job after graduation. “The number of medical
students studying in Australia has roughly doubled over
the past decade,” he says. “Whilst that was done with the
intention of providing more doctors for Australia, the
forethought from state and federal governments to
provide internships and specialist training positions
was never really put into place, so there’s a bit of a
bottleneck for medical graduates.”
Bullying and harassment, as well as students’ mental
health, also gained a lot of attention in 2015. “It’s been
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