After implementing some of the most sweeping reforms to the higher education sector in the last term of the Howard Government, Federal Education, Science and Training Minister, Brendan Nelson is continuing at a pace with a raft of new reforms to, or reviews of, Australia's education sector.

Brendan Nelson has instigated a range of reviews and reforms that will have a lasting impact on the Australian landscape and will have profound implications for existing and new players in the education and training sector.

Some of the key initiatives include:

Rationalising Responsibility for Higher Education in Australia

The Government has released a discussion paper to start a debate around the issue of rationalising the responsibility for higher education in Australia.

The paper describes the evolving nature of Federal and State involvement in higher education and the implications of the current division of responsibilities between the Australian Government and the State and Territory governments.

There are 39 publicly funded higher education providers in Australia of which 37 have been accorded the title of university. In addition, there are three private universities and a number of other self-accrediting and non self-accrediting institutions which provide higher education throughout Australia. Altogether they served more than 929,000 students in 2003.

State and Territory responsibilities for universities vary in, for example, funding and capital assistance, appointing Board members and some accountability requirements.

The paper argues that a discussion is warranted as to whether Australia would be better placed in a competitive global economy if these jurisdictional arrangements for universities were rationalised.

It argues the complexities in the current shared arrangements, a lack of consistency to the largely historically determined nature of them, and limitations and constraints that result from having nine jurisdictions involved.

The paper states it is timely to consider the case for change, because there is a growing need for the Australian higher education sector to be recognisable as a truly national system, and recognised for its high quality, in the face of rapid globalisation of higher education. It argues that duplication and ambiguity in regulation of the sector need to be minimised for Australia to be positioned to attract the best researchers , teachers and students and for Australian universities to be increasingly internationally renowned.

National Inquiry into Teacher Training

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training is conducting an inquiry into the quality of teacher-training courses.

The House of Representatives inquiry will include an examination of:

The Future Diversity of Australian Universities

An issues paper focused on building diversity in the higher education system has been released to inform the broader national debate on the future of Australia's universities.

The paper canvasses a range of issues and considers whether Australian can continue to expect a one-size-fits-all model of higher education to compete with the world's best, cater to regional communities and offer excellence in teaching and research.

The paper seeks discussion and consideration of a number of issues, including:

Springboard Australia is monitoring these reviews and reforms and can assist any organisation wanting to contribute to them or be kept informed of developments.