Either through stupidity or spite, the Liberal/National Government's inaction during #COVID-19 will devastate universities. Higher ed drives innovation & growth and will underpin our economic recovery in a changing post-COVID world. (thread) https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/policy-submissions/research-innovations/ @uniaus @nteu
Pre-COVID, education was Australia's 3rd largest export sector, earning over $30b a year. Australian universities employ more people than the entire manufacturing sector.
https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/trade-investment/trade-at-a-glance/trade-investment-at-a-glance-2019/Pages/default
https://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/GainInsights/EmploymentProjections #ausecon
https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/trade-investment/trade-at-a-glance/trade-investment-at-a-glance-2019/Pages/default
https://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/GainInsights/EmploymentProjections #ausecon
Due to travel restrictions, Australian unis face at least a short-term loss in revenue of at least $10b. Like other areas of the economy, they're struggling to pay their staff. https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251
@ScottMorrisonMP has singled out universities to exclude them from the JobKeeper payment. There's no option to keep staff on if they'll be needed again soon. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/australian-government-moves-again-exclude-universities-bailout
I teach computer science, one of the 'job-ready' fields @DanTehanWannon wants to encourage. Under proposed HECS changes, funding for domestic students in computing is steady. But in engineering, maths & science, $ per student will be cut massively. https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-making-job-ready-degrees-cheaper-for-students-but-cutting-funding-to-the-same-courses-141280 #CSEd
As the sector adapts to plummeting revenue, every faculty (including 'job-ready' computer science) must make huge, immediate cost savings. Early-career academics and women will bear the brunt of the cuts. https://www.science.org.au/covid19/research-workforce #WomenInSTEM #ECR
This is an unprecedented economic crisis, but it won't last forever. @ScottMorrisonMP is watching over the destruction of skills and capacity that will take a generation to rebuild. Students will suffer; research will be cancelled; young researchers will leave and never return.
If this were an iconic Australian automobile, we'd at least get politicians in hi-vis wandering around our campuses pretending to care. Instead, @ScottMorrisonMP & @DanTehanWannon have chosen to abandon students, and burn a key pillar of our economic recovery.