Coalition in war of words on education

Daniel Hurst Prime Minister Julia Gillard's school funding reforms have ignited a war of words in Coalition ranks, with federal education spokesman Christopher Pyne claiming Premier Barry O'Farrell was ''conned''...

$74m put aside to pay for 'blatant' campaigns

Daniel Hurst An extra $74 million will be channelled into federal government advertising campaigns despite the budget's bleak finances.

Brands cash in on NAPLAN test fear

Jewel Topsfield and Daniel Hurst Stuffed toys that help children deal with ''difficult emotions'' are being spruiked as a way of assisting ''with the stress of NAPLAN'', as companies cash in on the emphasis placed on next week's...

Party room to ask hard questions on leave scheme

Michael Gordon and Daniel Hurst Tony Abbott will be asked to defend, discard or modify his promised generous paid parental leave scheme in the Coalition party room next week, amid growing internal concerns that it is no longer...

Warning over loss of 'smarter economy'

Daniel Hurst Universities will step up their campaign against funding cuts with hard-hitting ads.

Uni campaign turns to public

Sarah-Jane Collins, Daniel Hurst The University of Sydney has amassed more than $300 million in philanthropic donations since quietly embarking on a $600 million fund-raising campaign in 2008.

Stepping up scrutiny over Comcare

Daniel Hurst Claim scrutiny, rehabilitation efforts to be increased under a planned overhaul.

Immigration to give ATO data on visa holders

Daniel Hurst The Australian Taxation Office will scour the details of 1 million Australian visa holders in the hunt for fraud, tax-law breaches and cases of people flouting work rights.

Voters will decide fate of super tax shift

Daniel Hurst Australians with more than $2 million in their superannuation accounts and others on the top marginal tax rates will pay more if the Gillard government succeeds in clawing back retirement fund tax...

Difference in school opportunity 'alarming'

Daniel Hurst David Gonski says he sincerely hopes something comes out of his 18-month review.

Gillard accused of vote mongering

Asher Moses, Anna Patty, Daniel Hurst Australian technology industry figures have condemned Prime Minister Julia Gillard for ''desperate vote mongering'' over ''outrageous'' comments she made accusing IT firms of abusing the skilled...

PM pledge to workers: penalty rates will be sacred

Daniel Hurst Prime Minister Julia Gillard has vowed to enshrine in law the principle that working outside of normal business hours should attract higher pay.

PM warns of need for improvement

Daniel Hurst Some of Australia's disadvantaged schools have been marked up but the nation still has room for improvement, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said as she trumpeted the latest performance data.

Decline in 457 visa abuse casts doubt on crackdown

Daniel Hurst, Judith Ireland The number of employers found to have abused the foreign worker visa program has steadily declined over the past three years, casting serious doubts about the rationale behind the Gillard...

ANU moves up in university rankings

Daniel Hurst The Australian National University remains narrowly behind the University of Melbourne on a global list ranking higher education prestige.

Melbourne Uni rises in prestigious list

Daniel Hurst The University of Melbourne has broken into the top 40 on a global list ranking higher education prestige, cementing its place as the nation's top university when it comes to reputation.

Christian schools want fine print of reforms

Daniel Hurst CHRISTIAN schools have threatened to withdraw support for Julia Gillard's education funding reforms if the Prime Minister fails to spell out the effects on individual institutions within one month.

Butt out of education, Queensland tells PM

Daniel Hurst and Amy Remeikis Queensland has told Julia Gillard to “butt out of education” while revealing it would follow Victoria in hatching its own school funding reform plan.

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Rules block bid to check up on foreign labour rorts

Daniel Hurst, Clay Lucas DUBIOUS applications for foreign worker visas have been approved because rules prevented officials from investigating their suspicions, the federal government argues.

Graduates failing bosses

Daniel Hurst Literacy standards of higher education graduates fail to satisfy more than four in 10 bosses in a survey.