Claire Field

Australia’s anti-corruption commissioner has a trust problem. He needs to change course to fix it

Paul Brereton’s ongoing conflict of interest woes threaten public trust in the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He urgently needs to change tack.

Meanwhile in Australia, the so-called National Press Club cancels decorated journalist, Chris Hedges, who was to speak on the "amplification of Israeli lies in the press, which most reporters know are lies, betraying Palestinian colleagues who are slandered, targeted and killed by Israel"

How robo-debt turned this prize-winning author into a ‘vengeful god’ Rick Morton has won a Prime Minister’s Literary Award for his non-fiction book Mean Streak. He’d trade it all for justice for the victims.

Congrats @squigglyrick.bsky.social - deserved recognition for your forensic and compassionate writing on this deeply shameful and terribly harmful scheme 👏👏👏

www.smh.com.au/culture/book...

'Widespread' anti-Palestinian racism in Australian schools, report finds The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network releases its first national register report to examine "the climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment" experienced by students, teachers and members of the school community.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network releases its first national register report to examine "the climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment" experienced by students, teachers and members of the school community.

What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector Claire Field talks with leaders and experts from within the Australian tertiary education sector and across the global ed-tech sector

My latest guest on the podcast is Shae McGregor from TAFE Gippsland where they are piloting new education programs designed with the student voice at their heart - making really meaningful differences to students facing multiple disadvantage.

Out now or listen online: whatnowwhatnext.buzzsprout.com

Inside the world of Kenya’s ‘shadow scholars’ paid to write essays for UK students Highly educated Kenyans working for essay mills ghostwrite academic work that students pass off as their own

This recent article in @theguardian.com reinforces some of the arguments advanced by Ellis and Curtis. The article in turn previews an upcoming film "The Shadow Scholars" on the contract cheating 'industry' and those working in it www.theguardian.com/education/20...

A truly excellent piece of work by @guycurtis10.bsky.social and @cathellis13.bsky.social

A must read for everyone in higher ed and VET - including ASQA after their first attempt to cancel a provider for not identifying contract cheating by students was thrown out by the Admin Review Tribunal

The 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion.

The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion.

Our problem isn't a lack of resources.

Our problem is ever-expanding inequality.

10yo Amina was fetching water when a missile strike killed her When Amina Al-Mufti left the home her family was sheltering in, her parents expected she would quickly return with a bucket full of water. But she never came back.

When Amina Al-Mufti left the home her family was sheltering in, her parents expected she would quickly return with a bucket full of water. But she never came back.

FYI - the link goes to ‘page not found’ Guy

More top #highered reporting ⁦‪from Julie Hare AFR.

www.afr.com/policy/healt...

There is no financial crisis. This is Macquarie uni balance sheet

7/ Specialist teaching is replaced with generic faculty wide units with 1000 + students, mostly online and no F2F tutorials. Macquarie wants to introduce a 'common first year' to the BA - so discipline content will be confined to 2nd and 3rd year - six units in total. No electives/option sets.

3/ My own discipline of sociology is losing 11 of 14 academics yet we have had a 65% increase in student enrolments this year and have more students than areas not being cut. Same story for other areas being hit with staff cuts.

1/At Macquarie Uni we are losing 50% of our units in my faculty. This is on top of cuts in 2020. We estimate by next year my faculty will be teaching 80% fewer subjects than pre Covid. Disciplines being cut do not have declining enrolments. @jennaprice.bsky.social @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social

I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.

Recommendation 1 5.91 The committee recommends that universities improve the transparency and accountability of their governing bodies, including by:  publishing all minutes of council meetings in their entirety, on university websites, while ensuring that personal or legally protected information is appropriately withheld;  publicly disclosing details of all spending on consultants, including the purpose of each consultancy and the extent to which the capacity exists to perform that function within the institution;  maintaining a publicly disclosed conflict-of-interest register for university council members and senior university executives. Where senior executives receive remuneration for external roles, mitigation actions to manage any perceived or real conflicts-of-interest (which could include the offsetting of salaries) should be both agreed and disclosed on the public register;  publishing annual remuneration reports in-line with requirements for public companies including role-specific salaries of senior university executives; and  publicly reporting on the composition of governing bodies, including the proportion of elected members and those with public and higher education sector experience, and that there be transparency over the appointment process for non-elected positions. Recommendation 2 5.92 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's (TEQSA) regulatory mechanisms to enforce these transparency and accountability practices are considered alongside the current process to modernise and strengthen TEQSA's powers. Recommendation 3 5.93 The committee recommends that universities adopt best-practice and meaningful consultation for major change proposals, including involvement from staff and students prior to decisions being made.

Recommendation 4 5.102 The committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the Remuneration Tribunal and states and territories to devise a mechanism or framework of classification structures and remuneration ranges to determine vice-chancellors' and senior executives' remuneration. University councils would retain responsibility for setting the vice-chancellors' and senior executives' remuneration, within the appropriate classification and remuneration range. Recommendation 5 5.109 The committee recommends that universities set and implement a minimum proportion of members with public administration and higher education expertise on university governing bodies. Recommendation 6 5.110 The committee recommends that universities set and implement a minimum proportion of elected representatives (staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students) on governing bodies. Recommendation 7 5.111 The committee recommends that universities ensure equal and respectful treatment of elected staff and students on governing bodies. While university governing bodies need to retain responsibility for engaging and consulting with members of their community, including students and staff, they should support elected representatives to consult with their communities as needed. Recommendation 8 5.112 The committee recommends that universities adopt a best-practice model for the induction and continuous professional development of nominated and elected council members, and facilitate governance training for these members where appropriate. Recommendation 9 5.121 The committee recommends that the Australian Government, following the current consultation process being undertaken by the Department of Education, introduce legislation to provide the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency with the necessary suite of powers to investigate potential breaches of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 and enforce its compliance directions.

Recommendation 10 5.123 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency take steps to improve governance reporting requirements to enable it to identify and mitigate risk across the university sector, including public reporting on the results of its compliance processes. Recommendation 11 5.124 The committee recommends that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency work with other regulatory bodies, Commonwealth and State, to identify common data requests relating to university governance, and to work across jurisdictions to avoid duplicative reporting requirements, where possible. Recommendation 12 5.129 The committee recommends that universities examine and enhance their complaints processes to ensure they are effective and accessible to all members of the university community.

3 pages of sensible recommendations in the just released Interim Report of the Senate inquiry into university governance

www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

We were very pleased to get the news today that the Australian National Dictionary Centre will be saved, thanks to an anonymous donation and the halt on involuntary redundancies under the Renew ANU plan. We thank everyone for their generous support through these difficult times.

The bizarre way bosses are treating cooks and hairdressers like CEOs Businesses talk a big game about the cut-and-thrust of competition, but when they stifle a 16-year-old trainee through non-compete clauses, it’s time to call BS.

“Businesses talk a big game about… competition, how it brings out the best of them. But when a 16-year-old on $39,559 is considered such a threat to a business’s survival that they’re barred from colouring the hair of anyone in suburban Canberra, I call bullsh*t.”

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Breaking: ANU walks back plans for forced redundancies The Australian National University abandons its plans for forced redundancies as part of its efforts to cut costs.

The Australian National University abandons its plans for forced redundancies as part of its efforts to cut costs.

What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector Claire Field talks with leaders and experts from within the Australian tertiary education sector and across the global ed-tech sector

If you want to speak with amazing people I highly recommend starting a podcast! On this episode I'm joined by Prof. Chris Moran, VC of UNE. If you don't have time to start a podcast - then have a listen - UNE is offering such important opportunities for so many people

'Psychologically unsafe': ANU work halt ordered over Renew program Staff allegedly coerced into voluntary redundancy applications.

Unsafe conditions, imminent risk www.canberratimes.com.au/story/906834...

Petition: Sanction Israel for Genocide in Gaza To: The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong. We, the undersigned, call […]

Sign the petition to sanction Israel now: www.jewishcouncil.com.au/2025/09/peti...

@sarahschwartz.bsky.social on ABC talking about our ad featuring Jews calling to sanction Israel NOW for the genocide in Gaza.

The ad comes as the UN has released an authoritative report stating that Israel is committing a genocide.

We need this message to be heard by ALL Australians.

RMIT Vietnam celebrates 25 years with $25 million investment and Governor-General visit RMIT University has marked 25 years of transnational education in Vietnam with a $25 million investment in research and innovation.

Congrats RMIT Vietnam - 25 years is a great achievement 👏👏

www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-new...

Gaza City under relentless bombardment as Israel launches ground invasion Offensive conducted as UN inquiry concludes that Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

Offensive conducted as UN inquiry concludes that Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

Google Secretly Handed ICE Data About Pro-Palestine Student Activist Google handed over Gmail account information to ICE before notifying the student or giving him an opportunity to challenge the subpoena.

As ICE hunted for campus activists to deport this spring, they sent administrative subpoenas to Google and Meta about Cornell students Momodou Taal and Amandla Thomas-Johnson. Google complied with the subpoena about Thomas-Johnson's account without notifying him. theintercept.com/2025/09/16/g...

Well done to Monash Uni for the role of its “World Mosquito Program” in this really important work

I was a vice-chancellor for 16 years. Here's what went wrong and what the next VC should do Working at a university for a few years does not make you a leader.

Prof. Ian Chubb, former VC at ANU, on what went wrong at the ANU and what needs to change

(I served on the Michael Chaney-led International Education Advisory Council with Prof. Chubb and learned a lot from him - a deeply impressive man)

www.canberratimes.com.au/story/906608...

Protesters gather at ABC in South Bank to mourn journalist deaths in Gaza Roughly 400 people, many wearing "Press" vests, were shining a light on the plight of media workers in the conflict.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...?