Acrobatic hopefuls flip into circus degree restart
Aspiring aerialists are being tested on their backflips and handstands as Australia's only degree in circus starts taking new students again.
Education
Advice on negative gearing ‘not unusual’: Treasurer
While the government has downplayed speculation it's contemplating changes to negative gearing, it's also not ruling it out.
Modern tech minerals may be hiding in extinct volcanoes
Rare earth minerals needed to fuel the transition to renewable energy and create everything from TVs to smartphones could be found inside dormant volcanoes.
Big states still truant in school funding stoush
Pressure is mounting on some of Australia's biggest states after Tasmania became the third jurisdiction to agree to the Commonwealth's school funding deal.
Beer, petrol and student loans: Nats sharpen poll pitch
Relief for Australians struggling with cost of living and cutting red tape for farmers have dominated a policy discussion within a National Party conference.
Warnings student cap could hurt economy and research
Plans to cap international student numbers will "apply a handbrake" to one of the nation's biggest exports, the peak university body warns.
Aussies want AI restrictions, though most don’t use it
Generative AI tools are a concern for a growing number of Australians, a report has found, even though only two in five have tried the technology.
‘Wake-up call’: one in three kids fail basic standards
Calls to fully fund public schools are rising after the 2024 NAPLAN results showed thousands of students can't meet basic standards for literacy and numeracy.
Indigenous inequality not solvable overnight: PM
Just five of 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to being met, a report says, leading to calls for the federal government to step in and do more.
Political playground fight rages over school funding
As the number of Australians finishing high school slips, the federal government has proposed a new plan to help students and teachers.
Schools get funding boost for consent education
Schools will get $77 million to provide consent education as part of a national program to foster attitudes about respectful relationships from an early age.
Terror police probe motive in alleged teen uni stabbing
A 14-year-old boy accused of stabbing a Sydney University student is being treated as a terror suspect, but is yet to be formally charged.
Online radicalisation in focus after campus stabbing
A 14-year-old boy accused of stabbing a Sydney University student is yet to charged, as online radicalisation comes under scrutiny amid "concerning trends".
Online violence, ideology spurred alleged teen stabber
A 14-year-old boy accused of stabbing a Sydney University student is yet to be charged, as revelations emerge he faced court in 2023 over a separate incident.
NAIDOC is a time for ‘Blak, loud and proud’ celebration
NAIDOC Week begins on Sunday under the theme 'Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud', which was chosen in response to October's Voice referendum defeat.
How a mother’s death from tsunami birthed an activist
Listening to local elders after a tsunami in Samoa killed her mother, Steph Hodgins-May went from environmental lawyer to senator to fight for climate justice.
Bipartisan backing for tougher hate-speech penalties
The coalition has indicated it would back a proposal to strengthen hate-speech laws following a rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
Police issue ultimatum to student Gaza protest
Police could soon arrest student protesters at the Australian National University after the group refused orders to dismantle their pro-Palestine encampment.
Pro-Palestine camp to end when uni gives in to demands
Encampments are being dismantled at many universities but students from the University of Melbourne will not pack up until it publicly gives in to a key demand.
‘Reckless’ uni camps rile premier as protests mount
Premier Jacinta Allan says "reckless" pro-Palestine encampments at Victorian universities must end, as demonstrations continue across the nation.
Universities step up action in push to end encampments
A Melbourne university started misconduct proceedings against students at a Pro-Palestine encampment, but a Sydney facility won't force the camp to disband.
Students vow to continue sit-in as one camp falls
A pro-Palestine student encampment at a Melbourne university has been dismantled while students at another vowed to continue occupying a school building.
Pro-Palestine university encampment ordered to disband
Officials at a Melbourne university are demanding a pro-Palestine encampment move on as counter-protesters confront each other at another campus.
Israel warned of ‘grave concerns’ as PM calls for unity
Protests about the war in Gaza at universities across the nation are impacting social cohesion, the prime minister warns, as Australia sends Israel a message.
Relief for students with $3b of HECS debt eliminated
About $3 billion worth of student debt will be wiped for more than three million Australians struggling through the cost-of-living crisis.
Conflicting accounts over lead-up to school bus crash
Truck driver Jamie Gleeson, 50, has faced court for a committal hearing, charged over a crash that left primary school students seriously injured.
Demolition for school after dangerous mould outbreak
It will be years before a school nicknamed "the jail" is rebuilt after the site is bulldozed following an outbreak of mould that has infested the facility.
Pedophile conviction likely to be tossed due to gender
An ex-teacher who sexually abused a student five decades ago has a high chance of her conviction being quashed as it was based on a men-only law, a court says.
Cash splash lifts remote school funding up to standard
Disadvantaged areas will be prioritised in a school funding boost to lift enrolments and education outcomes across the Northern Territory.
Saving first languages a mission to preserve cultures
Elders, professors and others are working to preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages, and the ancient cultures they maintain.
Higher education revamp to ‘lift handbrake on economy’
A sweeping new blueprint could make higher education easier to attain as Australia grapples with demand for skills of the future.