UNI FUNDS FOR SKILLS BOOST; FLOOD BACKING
New university funding targeted at skills
A total of 20,000 additional university places will be funded by the Albanese Government, in a bid to tackle skills shortages in areas such as education, health, engineering, and technology. Education Minister Jason Clare and Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the additional places would be allocated over two years from the start of 2023, at a cost of up to $485.5 million over the next four years. Higher education providers will competitively bid for places. Additional priority will be given to places for people from a low socio-economic background, and from rural and remote areas, as well as First Nations people and those with a disability.
NSW pledges support for flood inquiry recommendations
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said his government would support all recommendations from the official independent inquiry into floods that ravaged the state earlier this year. Responding to the release of the inquiry’s report, the Government said it backed six of the inquiry’s 28 recommendations, with a further 22 supported in principle and subject to further consultation on implementation. One key recommendation is the migration off high-risk floodplains over time, using a mix of planning controls, land swaps, buybacks and leveraging private investment in new developments. The inquiry also recommended, by legislation, the establishment of a NSW Reconstruction Authority.
Disability employment providers dumped after review
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has dropped eight providers from the Disability Employment Program following a performance review that will affect around 15,500 people living with a disability. Fifty-two providers will be affected by the review, with eight providers having all services completely discontinued. Affected people will be transitioned to higher performing services close to where they live. The Minister said around 2.1 million people with a disability were of working age in Australia.
Jobless figures hitting new lows
Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4 per cent in July, hitting a 48-year low. Monthly figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the level of underemployment – (measuring people who want to work more hours), slipped to six per cent. Victoria (3.1 per cent) recorded the lowest level of unemployment, while South Australia had the highest jobless rate, at four per cent. Youth unemployment is now just seven per cent.
Husic moves to define priority list for critical technologies
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic is seeking business, researcher and public input into identifying and defining the priorities for emerging critical technologies. Mr Husic said he wanted to clarify the technologies considered vital for Australia’s current interests, or which had the potential to become critical in the next decade. The 2022 List of Critical Technologies in the National Interest would build on the 2021 list, which featured 63 technologies across seven categories. These categories were: Advanced materials and manufacturing; AI, computing and communications; Biotechnology, gene technology and vaccines; Energy and environment; Quantum; Sensing, timing and navigation; and Transportation, robotics and space. Public consultation closes September 30.
International travel edging back to one million milestone
Monthly arrival and departure numbers in and out of Australia are nearing the one million mark, as international travel slowly re-builds after Covid-19. In June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded more than 730,000 arrivals and 880,000 departures. Almost 30,000 international students arrived in June, about 36 per cent down on pre-Covid figures of June 2019. New Zealand remained the most popular source country for visitors. The ABS has provisionally forecast monthly arrivals to reach one million in July, with departures just under the one million level. Pre Covid, Australia was reaching two million international arrivals, and departures, a month.