Thread by @JoshMilthorpe, Either through stupidity or spite, the Liberal/National Government's inaction during #COVID-19 will [...]

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

Research & Innovation – Universities Australia

https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/policy-submissions/research-innovations/

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

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

Australian universities could lose $19 billion in the next 3 years. Our economy will suffer with...

For every $1 lost in university tuition fees, there is another $1.15 lost in the broader economy. This means loss of university revenue can cost the Australian economy more than $40 billion by 2023.

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

Australian government moves again to exclude universities from bailout

Sector singled out as Canberra makes changes on the fly to its JobKeeper employment subsidy scheme

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

The government is making ‘job-ready’ degrees cheaper for students – but cutting funding to the same...

The reduced rate of funding to universities (of up to 17%), per place, for national priority courses sends perverse messages to universities.

https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-making-job-ready-degrees-cheaper-for-students-but-cutting-funding-to-the-same-courses-141280

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

Impact of the pandemic on Australia’s research workforce

This rapid research brief synthesises the evidence on the impact the pandemic is having and likely to have on Australia’s research workforce and its capability to support our recovery efforts.

https://www.science.org.au/covid19/research-workforce

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.

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