Australian opposition demands that the government focus on overhauling the ‘deficient’ job-ready program for university graduates | Education in Australia

Australian Labor MPs are intensifying their demand for the Albanese government to expedite the reform of the contentious job-ready graduates scheme that has reportedly “failed” students. Introduced by the Morrison government, the scheme has been widely criticized, notably for its impact that significantly increased the cost of degrees in humanities and social sciences industries. A South Australian Labor MP, Louise Miller-Frost, highlighted how this issue continues to anger voters, emphasizing that the scheme is a priority for making university education more accessible and as an intergenerational equity concern. Similarly, the Victorian MP Carina Garland, who studied humanities and worked as an academic, is urging for quick reforms. The universities accord, an initiative by Labor to reform the higher education sector, had previously deemed the scheme a failure and recommended several changes to its structure, including the removal of the rule that made Hecs debt ineligible for students failing more than 50% of their units. Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged these issues, stating that the government has already acted on several of the accord’s recommendations but has not yet provided a timeline for further changes suggested by the Australian Tertiary Education Commission.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/06/labor-mps-urge-government-to-prioritise-reform-of-failed-job-ready-university-graduates-scheme