Article in the August 19 edition of Sydney Morning Herald, by Anna Clark.
I’m an academic at the University of Technology Sydney. I teach and research in history, giving lectures and tutorials, marking essays, writing books and producing podcasts for students and teachers. I work with many wonderful, passionate colleagues and I love my job.
As a professor, I am keenly aware of the immense privilege of my position. I have a secure income and a platform. But with that position also comes seniority, expertise and a responsibility to speak out on important issues.
I’ve been in the tertiary education system for 20 years and have seen gradual, steady decline in government investment across the sector, accompanied by perverse and destructive interventions such as the recent Jobs Ready Graduate program.
According to the Productivity Commission, Australia has the second-lowest public expenditure on tertiary education institutions in the OECD after Britain. This has resulted in an endless chase for dollars (international students and “the next big thing”) rather than thinking about what an educated Australia should look like in five, 10 or 50 years’ time.