Knowledge is power? Universities in the COVID-19 crisis

On this Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny discusses the state of Australia’s university sector with education policy expert Andrew Norton, head of Australia’s science and technology peak body Misha Schubert, and the father of Australia’s HECS system Bruce Chapman.

While universities had a very tough 2020, what does the continued closure of international borders mean for the future of the sector? Will the government’s plan to produce more ‘job-ready’ graduates achieve the intended result? And with the importance of cooperation between the researchers and policymakers highlighted during the pandemic, can universities and governments work more closely together to address the other major challenges facing Australia and the world? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Professor Mark Kenny is joined by an expert panel to discuss the challenges facing Australia’s university sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Norton is an Australian author and Professor in the practice of higher education policy at the Centre for Social Research and Methods at The Australian National University.

Misha Schubert is Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Australia - the nation’s peak body for the science and technology sectors - and Visiting Fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU.

Bruce Chapman AM is a Professor and economist at The Australian National University. He has extensive experience in public policy, including the motivation and design of the Higher Education Contribution Scheme - the first national income contingent loan scheme using the income tax system for collection - in 1989.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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