Changing the funding of vocational education and training (VET) away from head-counts of enrolments to focus instead on how many students graduate might help turn around the sector’s massive drop-out rates…
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Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year-rule of Libya has come to an violent end in a manner reminiscent of the dispatch of Fascist Italy’s Benito Mussolini. Libya under Gaddafi, like Libya before him, had a complex…
The Occupy Wall Street protests that started in New York have proved contagious. Sit-ins and attempted occupations have spread to other major American cities including Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and Atlanta…
The Gillard government’s carbon pricing legislation passed the House of Representatives by 74 votes to 72, and is expected to pass through the Senate with the support of the Greens next month. Under the…
Universities and the National Union of Students have welcomed the passage of a bill giving universities the right to collect fees for campus services but the law prohibits students using the money for…
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings has named the University of Melbourne Australia’s best university, but higher education experts have warned that such rankings tables are easily misinterpreted…
Prestigious US academic institution Princeton University will prevent researchers from giving the copyright of scholarly articles to journal publishers, except in certain cases where a waiver may be granted…
Shaming obese people commonly leads to self-blame and a reduced desire to engage in healthy activities like swimming, socialising or exercise, a new study has found. Australia’s obesity rates have been…
Euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke plans to import a restricted powerful sleeping pill for two terminally ill patients under a scheme offered by the Australian drug regulator that allows doctors to…
Australian universities have welcomed the release of a long-awaited review of international student visa rules, saying that immigration reforms and the removal of tough financial requirements could give…
Nearly 40% of academics under 30 and one-third of staff aged 30-39 years plan to leave the Australian higher education sector within 10 years, according to a new report, raising the prospect of severe…
Men who live alone are up to 4.9 times as likely to die of alcohol-related liver disease than men who live with a partner, a Finnish study has found. The study supports theories that socialising can help…
A top Australian medical journal has called for an end to prolonged mandatory detention of refugees, warning that time in detention is associated with poor mental and physical health. The Medical Journal…
The Australian government has announced the terms of reference of its planned media inquiry, which will look at the powers of the Press Council, recent technological developments and the ability of the…
A top environmental adviser to the Indian government has described the Gillard government’s proposed carbon tax as an “interesting mechanism” that may be useful for Indian climate policy makers. With annual…
An explosion at a nuclear waste facility in Southern France has killed one and badly burned another but is unlikely to cause a dangerous radioactive leak, experts said on Tuesday. The blast occurred late…
As the Gillard government prepares to introduce its carbon price legislation to parliament, senior environment policy advisers from big emitters China and India have said they are watching closely Australia’s…
Boys who grow up without a dad around are more likely to reach puberty later, but father their own children earlier, according to a new study. Researchers from the London School of Economics used data…
Implementing the vision of a government report that called for more university funding could boost Australia’s national productivity levels by 5.6% by 2040, according to a study commissioned by a university…
Funding shortfalls are hurting Australia’s agricultural research sector at a time when climate change, a looming food crisis and water shortages are demanding more innovation than ever, according to academics…
Global climate change and the El Niño weather event may have played a role in 21% of all civil conflicts since 1950, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. El Niño refers to the periodic…
Emergency medicine specialist Chris Baggoley has been appointed Australia’s new Chief Medical Officer, after acting in the role since April. The Chief Medical Officer works out of the Department of Health…
Many university students use scholarly databases like they would Google, revealing an astonishingly poor understanding of how to refine searches for better research results, a US study has found. The Ethnographic…
Failing to help the homeless can come with a high cost to the public purse, with many ending up in hospitals for treatment of substance abuse and chronic health problems, a study has found. A joint research…
“Fat acceptance” blogs urging overweight people to shed negative feelings about their body image can lead to healthier diet and exercise choices, a study has found. The fat acceptance movement, which seeks…