Taxpayers, rather than students alone, would be asked to foot the cost of maintaining Australia’s higher-education system under one alternative approach to the government’s proposed deregulated fee system. The proposal was one of many discussed last week at a round table University ...

The education minister, Christopher Pyne, is confident his university reforms will pass parliament shortly. But he's remaining tight-lipped on whether he's won over Clive Palmer. Pyne dined with the Palmer United Party (PUP) leader at a Canberra Chinese restaurant on ...

The government's university reforms mark II are yet to reach the Senate but they already look set to fail. In a signal of their opposition, a coterie of cross-bench senators have supported a Labor push to investigate alternatives to fee ...

Key cross-bench senators will help Labor explore how universities can be helped without deregulating fees. The move comes after another university vice-chancellor broke ranks to express doubts over the merits of deregulation. Labor's Kim Carr and cross-benchers Nick Xenophon, Jacqui ...

Debate on the federal government's controversial higher education reforms has resumed in the lower house today. Around 20 MPs will finish speaking on the legislation to deregulate university fees after which the bill will be sent to the upper house. Education ...

A planned protest at Prime Minister Tony Abbott's electorate office in Sydney has been unexpectedly stalled after a group of students became stuck in a lift. The group of 10 from the NSW Education Action Network (EAN) fronted Mr Abbott's ...

Keep an open mind; perhaps the best way for the majority of public universities to get over the hump is to let a few go to the wall. By Paul Oslington Something that cannot be spoken of in higher education ...

The education minister, Christopher Pyne, said on Friday he can't rule out a party room spill next week on Prime Minister Tony Abbott's leadership. Pyne was responding to a Sky News report three ministers believe there will be a vote ...

Adam Giles has struck quickly, sacking the organiser of the failed bid to oust him as Northern Territory chief minister. Education Minister Robyn Lambley was dumped from the ministry after helping rally nine members of the Country Liberals parliamentary wing ...

University leaders have welcomed indications from Education Minister Christopher Pyne that he is open to negotiating the 20 per cent cut to university funding that remains entrenched in the revised version of the government’s higher education reform bill. While Pyne ...