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This thesis analyses the Australian response to the Bologna Process and the reasons behind this response. It examines how ideas travel and the various perspectives that explain why certain ideas gain prominence over others. The impact of the globalisation and internationalisation of higher education are both key to this study, but a third middle perspective, emphasising the irrationality of actors in a public policy setting and the randomness of the travel of ideas, is also considered. These theoretical perspectives provide the backdrop against which the initiatives contained in the Bologna Process and Australia's response to these initiatives can be considered. A theoretical framework is then used to analyse the characteristics necessary in an idea for it to be successfully implemented.

The Australian Commonwealth government initiated much discussion regarding the Bologna Process within the higher education sector through the release of a discussion paper in April 2006. Both this discussion paper and a cross-section of responses made by university associations, industry groups, students and unions are examined in the thesis. The University of Melbourne, having recently undertaken a series of reforms which invoked and in some respects resembled aspects of the Bologna Process is given additional consideration as a case study. The responses emphasised the perceived benefit of having a diverse higher education system in Australia, confusion as to why the Australia would choose to follow the Bologna Process reforms, and a sense that Australia would be better served by concentrating on its role within Asia and maintaining competitiveness with North American universities.

The thesis concludes that both the Bologna Process and the response to the Bologna Process from Australian governments and institutions can be characterised as the products of a multitude of influences. While the rhetoric surrounding the Bologna Process emphasises cooperative international engagement, the influences of competitive globalisation and of a 'muddling through' approach can both be seen to influence the Bologna Process and responses to the Bologna Process made by Australian governments and institutions. The ultimate rejection of the implementation of the Bologna Process in Australia, at least in its current form and in the current climate, is an example of the forces of globalisation and internationalisation not always impacting upon higher education systems in a predictable manner.

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Access to higher education in Victoria is fundamental in ensuring that the state’s population is appropriately equipped with the skills necessary to compete in the global economy. In this inquiry Victoria’s Education and Training Committee consulted a wide range of stakeholders from a range of relevant sectors, in order to investigate the impact of the high incidence of unmet demand for higher education opportunities. It is reported that unmet demand for higher education in Victoria increased from 28 per cent in 1997 to 37 per cent in 2003. This report discusses the impact of this unmet demand, the relationship of unmet demand with skill shortages, and its impact on TAFE institutions. The report also examines Commonwealth funding policies, which were reformed in 2003, and looks to the future with recommendations for more equitable higher education. The paper provides a range of place allocation models which may be suitable to replace the existing form of distribution of higher education opportunities. Show less

Victoria needs the right people and the right skills in place to support the state's transition to a clean economy. This strategy is a 10-year planning and investment framework to prepare the state's workforce for a net zero future. It provides a foundation for the training pathways needed to meet the growing demand for skills as Victoria moves towards net-zero emissions by 2045. The strategy outlines five strategic priorities to drive the workforce transition: (1) A reimagined skills model; (2) Flexible education and training product design; (3) Timely provision of education and training; (4) Enhanced workforce planning and attraction; and (5) Stewardship of the skills transition.

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The new Industry Participation Model is based on a new partnership approach between government, industry and training providers. It will increase industry influence within the training market by supporting more direct relationships between industry and training providers and by increasing direct consultation with government. The model will be introduced from 1 July 2012 and will be fully implemented by 1 January 2013. A key feature of the new model will be quality initiatives to strengthen industry's capacity to directly signal its level of satisfaction with training products and services. More direct relationships between employers and registered training organisations will be supported through online and self-help tools. These will facilitate partnerships between training market participants. The opportunities for direct consultation between industry and government include an Industry Skills Consultative Committee and an annual Industry Skills Conference. In addition, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will work in partnership with other government departments to actively engage with industry to identify skills and training needs and training market effectiveness.

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The biotechnology sector is currently facing critical skill shortages in two broad areas that require a small number of highly educated and experienced employees: commercial and business development skills in regulatory affairs, clinical strategy and project management; and technical and scientific skills in bioinformatics and biostatistics. Concern over these shortages is shared by key stakeholders. Enabling innovation across industry and the economy benefits businesses by reducing business costs, raising productivity levels and opening new markets. This document presents initiatives to assist capability development and highlights the importance of Government policies and programs that expand Victoria's biotechnology talent pool.

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Supported employment refers to jobs where people with high support needs can receive extra support while they are at work. In Australia, the term supported employment has largely become synonymous with Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs). There are around 160 ADEs across Australia providing work for approximately 16,000 people with disability. While ADEs play an important role in providing employment opportunities for people with disability, they are not, and should not, be the only employment option for people with high support needs.

In October 2022 the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, hosted a supported employment roundtable with State and Territory Disability Ministers, people with disability, family representatives, ADE representatives, peak bodies and other sector experts. During the roundtable, attendees developed a set of guiding principles for the future of supported employment, which have since been endorsed by Disability Ministers. The principles aim to ensure people with high support needs have informed choice and control, real options for employment and a range of support to meet their employment goals.

To ensure the guiding principles are brought to life, Commonwealth, State and Territory Disability Ministers agreed to work together to develop this supported employment plan. The plan includes a range of practical initiatives and actions, with a specific focus on employment for people with disability with high support needs. The plan is focussed on providing people with informed choice and control about their employment, as well as genuine opportunities to work in a wide range of settings, be it in an ADE, social enterprise, in open employment or in their own business. This plan builds on the investment being made by all jurisdictions under Australia's Disability Strategy to further employment outcomes. Progress on initiatives listed in the plan will be reported to the Disability Reform Ministers Council (DRMC) every twelve months.

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This set of practical guidelines aims to inform policymakers, social partners and practitioners in the Southern Mediterranean countries about organizing, implementing, managing, and evaluating effective work-based learning (WBL) programs for young people, including making it inclusive of young women. It proposes guidelines for government, social partners, [technical and vocational education and training] TVET institutions, workplaces, and individuals to achieve this goal. Six sets of factors were found to influence and shape the provision of WBL experiences, their organization, accessibility and implementation: (1) legal and institutional governance arrangements (i.e., government mandates, laws and regulations etc.); (2) social partnerships (i.e., the engagement of employers, unions, and professional bodies, locally, regionally and nationally); (3) kinds and scale of workplaces (i.e. the predominance of small-to-medium and micro-businesses comprising workplaces in these countries); (4) funding arrangements (e.g. sharing of costs and access to reimbursements); (5) TVET provisions (i.e., relevance of curriculum, quality of educators, links with industry, attractiveness of qualifications, alignment with enterprise needs); and (6) societal views shaping how young people, their parents, and employers come to value and participate in TVET.

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Victoria is in need of new sources of employment and economic activity. This was given additional urgency following decisions by several major Victorian-based manufacturers to exit the Australian market. The state needs new jobs that are sustainable, in sectors that have significant future growth potential. Clean energy is one of many sectors that can make an added contribution to Victoria's economy. It has the capacity to provide a large number of new jobs along with a range of other social, economic and environmental benefits.

This paper is deliberately focused on policy recommendations that involve either simple tweaks to existing policy settings, modest regulatory changes or expenditure of existing funds, to better embrace renewable energy or energy efficiency technologies in Victoria. These opportunities are all grounded in reality and include recommendations for clear and concrete actions that can generate real results without the need for major new programs or complex reforms. Even greater opportunities exist for job creation through more comprehensive reforms, but here [the authors] have focused on the need to have policies that can be enacted quickly without the need for lengthy development of programs or regulations.

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On 18 February 2021, the Legislative Council agreed to the motion that this House requires the Economy and Infrastructure Committee to inquire into, hold public hearings in Melbourne and regional Victoria to identify key issues and areas of concern, and report by 30 June 2021, on the impact of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and events sectors and provide recommendations for State Government support measures that will restore the tourism and events sectors to their critical role in the Victorian economy and restore lost jobs.

Victoria's tourism sector was experiencing strong growth prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While domestic tourism has seen some recovery, this has not compensated for the loss of international tourists. The pandemic also exacerbated pre-existing problems in the tourism sector, and in particular, issues around skills shortages. To adapt, businesses developed online capabilities and digital functionality. Businesses reported that innovating and shifting business models to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge, especially in regions with poor digital connectivity. As Victoria moves into a post-COVID travel world, the tourism industry needs support to continue innovating to meet new demands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has done great damage to the events sector across Australia. Victoria's events industry has been hit the hardest to date due to strict public health measures, including prolonged lockdowns. The Committee heard that the events sector generates around $12 billion to the Victorian economy each year. Low confidence is a major barrier to the sector's recovery. In particular, the threat of further lockdowns is both preventing businesses from committing to organise events and making the public wary of buying tickets. The loss of skilled workers is another threat to the recovery of the events sector in Victoria. Financial losses and ongoing uncertainty around when events will be able to resume mean many skilled professionals have already left the industry.

There are a number of ongoing challenges for the tourism and events sectors and the Victorian Government moving forward. These include low operator and public confidence, particularly in terms of the risks around future public health restrictions. For the events sector, this is particularly stark in light of the inability to access event cancellation insurance. Tourism faces an uncertain future in terms of managing peaks in domestic tourism demand and having no firm date for when international borders will reopen. In addition, both sectors face workforce and skills shortages. For the Victorian Government, the economic costs of supporting the state into the next phase of its recovery will be high. However, well-targeted investment will provide significant economic returns.

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This report is an overview of existing Commonwealth, state and territory policies and programs that aim to promote, and increase levels of, digital media literacy (DML). These programs aim to provide people with the opportunity to use digital technology and to acquire a range of competencies to participate in digital media and communications environments. A number of current programs have been identified for each state/territory in Australia and relevant Commonwealth departments. In addition, the report includes information on programs and initiatives implemented by local government to help foster digital media literacy outcomes at the local community level. This listing of government programs is not exhaustive of all programs in Australia to build digital media literacy, but it provides an insight into the diversity of key stakeholders (referred to as players) and key programs available in Australia.

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