Opinion

Uni funding reforms are a stake through the heart of Indigenous self-empowerment

By James Blackwell
Updated July 2 2021 - 3:51am, first published August 15 2020 - 4:30am
Every single Indigenous graduate has achieved something their ancestors were forbidden from achieving. Picture: Shutterstock
Every single Indigenous graduate has achieved something their ancestors were forbidden from achieving. Picture: Shutterstock

The government has announced more changes to the way it intends to fund the higher education sector, in addition to the previously announced Job-Ready Graduates funding package. Under the latest proposal, students will be cut off from the HECS-HELP loan scheme when they fail more than half of their units in the first year of a degree. This policy will have a hugely outsized impact on Indigenous students and the broader Indigenous community. This is in addition to the earlier Job-Ready reforms which gut the humanities and Indigenous Studies disciplines, penalising all students who want to gain knowledge about our histories, cultures, and languages.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Canberra news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.