Latest news with #Grattan
West Australian
27-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
ANISH BADGERI: Why don't our brightest students want to be teachers?
Astronaut. Firefighter. Teacher? When I pose the question of 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' to my students, I am guaranteed to receive a range of responses, from the aspirational ('I want to become a neuroscientist') to the grounded ('I want to be happy'). The response I hear least often is 'I want to become a teacher'. My own pathway into teaching was anything but straightforward. I attended a fully selective school where the only perceived legitimate career options were medicine, law, or engineering. Most of my close friends from high school work in those fields today. As someone who was considered a 'high achiever', I felt the weight of social expectation to not 'waste my potential' on a profession perceived as less prestigious. Reflecting on my experience has led me to consider the structural and societal barriers that discourage passionate and capable young people from entering education. Though I've only been teaching for seven years, I've had the privilege of working with some exceptional educators who are deeply passionate and intellectually driven by their work. Yet, simultaneously, public discourse about teaching in Australia focuses on declining entry standards, the ongoing teacher shortage particularly in disadvantaged communities, and burnout experienced by early career teachers. So why is it that we are struggling to attract passionate young high achievers into the profession? This is a question that the Grattan Institute sought to answer in a 2019 report. By their metrics, only 3.3 per cent of Australian university students aged 20 and younger with an ATAR of 80 or above pursued an undergraduate teaching course. The report fairly posited that financial incentives such as scholarships and competitive pay for newly created 'master teacher' and 'instructional specialist' roles would help alleviate some of the barriers by providing more of a career challenge. Soon after the Grattan report, the Federal Government launched its 'high achieving teachers' program in 2020, which was further expanded in 2022 through the national teacher workforce action plan. The Government sought to partner with 10 providers to promote employment-based pathways into teaching careers, with close to 1500 of these places expected for 2025. The only non-university partner is Teach For Australia, which is also the largest provider. As an alumnus of the TFA program, I have a strong belief in its mission and purpose. The program sees strong retention rates, with 85 per cent of its alumni working in the education sector and 70 per cent continuing to make a difference in schools. There is a vast untapped reservoir of potential future teachers in Australia. As an Australian from a culturally diverse background, I'm acutely aware of the under representation of people from diverse backgrounds in a range of industries. Education is no exception. While people born overseas make up 31.5 per cent of the Australian population, they only comprise 17 per cent of the teacher workforce as of 2020, according to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. Beyond the data, there is a strong cultural sentiment that acts as a barrier for culturally and linguistically diverse Australians to pursue a career in education. My parents made the decision to migrate to Australia because of a deep appreciation of the opportunities it would offer my brother and me, particularly in terms of education. This is a recurring theme of the Australian migrant experience, and there is often a deep reverence for educators among migrant communities and families. However, when it comes to career aspirations, this respect does not necessarily translate into a desire to pursue a career pathway in education. Despite the stereotype, children from migrant communities often experience an implicit pressure to pursue perceived 'prestigious' careers, as if to compensate for the sacrifices made by their parents or grandparents. It begs the question — why is teaching not perceived as a 'prestigious' career? When we consider bringing more high achievers to the field, it's important to acknowledge that people can be high achievers in a variety of domains — arts, sports, music to name a few. Some models, such as Gardner's model of Multiple Intelligences, posit that intelligence also includes interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligences. There are also large swathes of communities whose children face structural barriers to achieving their potential because of the nature of educational disadvantage in Australia. However, one broadly adopted scale for measuring high achievement is the ATAR system. Despite the criticisms it faces, it forms the bedrock of pathways determination into tertiary courses (including teaching) and is therefore a useful metric for this discussion. When considering ATAR, the bastions of high achieving students are our selective schools. Data from the Government's MySchool platform presents some interesting insights into what these schools look like. There is an entirely separate, and often fierce, debate about selective schools and the tutoring industry that accompanies them. However, what I am seeking to highlight is that there is a complex relationship between high achievers and culturally and linguistically diverse communities that needs to be considered when developing policies around attracting high achievers into teaching. At one of the consistently high performing selective schools in NSW, James Ruse Agricultural High School, 97 per cent of students have a language background other than English. A similar story plays out at MacRobertson Girls High School and Melbourne High School in Victoria, with 88 per cent and 87 per cent of their student populations having a language background other than English respectively. At my alma mater of Perth Modern School, which is the only fully selective high school in WA, 68 per cent of students have a language background other than the culture in these schools promotes the narrative that to be successful is to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. This is not the fault of any one individual or group, but a byproduct of widespread social stigma against teaching and misconceptions about the prestige of the profession. Shifting this social stigma is a large task, and requires ongoing awareness building about the incredible work that educators and support staff at schools do on a daily basis. Starting with a community that already has a profound value for education and educators is a step in the right direction, not only for the profession itself but for the aspiring young teachers who are yearning for the permission to pursue their passion. After all, apparently those that can't do, teach. But those that teach, inspire.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversy over $280 Centrelink cash boost for struggling pensioners 'set to get worse'
Significant concerns have been raised about the number of retired Australians struggling in their twilight years as they rent. The Grattan Institute has found two in three older renters - like pensioner Debra Basham - are living in poverty, with the crisis "set to get worse" if the issue isn't addressed. The 67-year-old has missed meals as she doesn't have enough money to cover her bills and feels in a constant state of "struggle". The Grattan Institute has called for another increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA),which last went up in September. However, NSW Tenants Union CEO Leo Patterson Ross told Yahoo Finance another cash boost won't solve the problem if wider issues in the rental market are not tackled. "Unless you do something about rent prices, you're always chasing increasing rents," he said. "A 10 per cent increase in Rent Assistance is kind of helpful, but if rent went up 20 per cent, you're still behind. "You also have to be already receiving Centrelink payments and already be in a home to be eligible. So, that means there's a whole bunch of people who should be getting more support but aren't." RELATED Cash warning for 4.2 million retirees over impending RBA interest rate cut Rare $1 coin worth up to $350: 'Lucky to find one' NAB, Commonwealth Bank cut term deposit interest rates in warning signal for Aussies: 'Act quickly' More than 165,000 Australians aged between 55-64 receive Commonwealth Rent Assistance. Rent has risen dramatically across all capital cities over the last four years, according to Domain. Weekly rent in Sydney has risen by up to $540, in Brisbane it's gone up by $410, while Perth has seen a $390 jump. While this has stabilised, experts have said prices are not set to drop. The CRA last increased in September by 10 per cent thanks to a measure contained in the 2024-25 Federal Budget, which gave single people between $12 to $19 extra per fortnight. The issue for pensioners is that those who take the Centrelink payment have faced an increase in rent of 1.5 times the maximum CRA payment rate since 2001, the Grattan report found."Even after these increases, a single retiree who relies solely on income support can afford to rent just 4 per cent of one-bedroom homes in Sydney, 13 per cent in Brisbane, and 14 per cent in Melbourne," it said. "Australia is failing too many retirees who rent. Only a further substantial boost to Rent Assistance can ensure that all Australians get the dignified retirement they deserve." Ross told Yahoo Finance that 10-15 per cent increases are nowhere near enough. "Most of the calls from the community and from Grattan are at more like the 40 to 50 per cent level. And so there's definitely scope for rent assistance to rise to that level," he said. Boosting CRA by up by 50 per cent would take the maximum rate up by $53 per week or $2,750 per year for singles, and $40 per week or $2,080 per year for couples. Grattan said this would allow retirees to afford up to $350 per week on rent, while retired couples could afford $390 per week, which would be enough to rent the cheapest 25 per cent of all one or two-bedroom homes in Aussie capital cities. These increases, which would also help everyone on CRA, not just retirees, would cost taxpayers $2 billion per year. The housing crisis in Australia has forced many Australians to rent as they can not afford their mortgage in retirement, or could not get into the market at all. Women aged over 55 are of particular risk of homelessness in Australia, with many in precarious rental situations. Some have lost their family home in separation after being primary carers for children, diminishing their earning and ability to build a superannuation nest egg. Basham retired from her job as a cleaner last year and has since found it difficult to cover her bills. "You just struggle," she told The Project. "I've got animals, I feed them first, and if I've got nothing left, then I go without. "If I've got a slice of bread, I'll just have a slice of bread for tea." National Seniors Association CEO, Chris Grice, told Yahoo Finance that too many retirees are facing uncertain futures due to this trend. 'Housing security and affordability is a huge concern for many older Australians, with an increasing number of older people unable to afford their own home and relying on the precarious and competitive rental market," he said. The association is not only calling for the rate of CRA to be lifted but for its indexation to be tied to changes in rental prices, rather than overall inflation. The CRA program is only accessible to Australians receiving the following social security payments: ABSTUDY - Living Allowance Age Pension Austudy Farm Household Allowance JobSeeker Payment Special Benefit Youth Allowance To be eligible for assistance, you need to meet minimum rent payment requirements. Situations also change depending on how many people you live with and if you have any dependants. The maximum fortnightly payment for a single person living alone is $188.20 every two weeks, or $125.47 for a single person in a share house. You can find the requirements in to access your portfolio
The Guardian
09-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Retirees who rent ‘really struggling' financially, researchers say – and the problem is getting worse
Two in three retirees who rent privately owned homes live in poverty and the problem will get worse, a new report has found. Most older working Australians who rent do not have sufficient savings to keep paying rent in their retirement, according to the report from the Grattan Institute. More than half of households aged 65 and older who rent report a total net financial worth of less than $25,000, compared with just 6% of homeowner households of that age. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Grattan's Brendan Coates said Australia was failing too many retirees who rent. 'The report really identifies that while most retirees are doing pretty well – they're actually more financially comfortable than many working-age Australians – it's retirees who rent who are really struggling,' Coates said. 'And they're in a lot of strife.' There are more than 200,000 retired Australian households renting in the private market, of which 67% are living in poverty. Poverty rates among single men and single women are even higher, at 74% and 78% respectively. Between 1981 and 2021, home ownership rates among the poorest 40% of 45- to 54-year-olds fell from 68% to 54%. Coates said this number would continue to dive. 'This problem is going to get worse,' he said. 'Home ownership is falling, and it's falling fast. Today's older renters who are in work are tomorrow's renting retirees. 'We're going to see more people renting in future, and many renters are not on track to have enough savings through their super to cover the cost of rent.' Coates called on the government to lift commonwealth rent assistance, which supplements the age pension for less well-off retirees who rent. 'The problem now is that social housing is also a smaller share of the housing stock,' he said. He said Australia's income support system 'hasn't updated for this emerging reality, which is that more people are going to rent'. The government has lifted the maximum rate of rent assistance (now $211.20 for singles) by 27% – over and above inflation – in the past two budgets. But even after these increases, a single retiree who relies solely on income support can afford to rent only 4% of one-bedroom homes in Sydney, 13% in Brisbane, and 14% in Melbourne.
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
How Australia's ‘unfair' dental system – and the way $1.3bn is spent – is driving inequality and leaving millions of people behind
Patients bear the brunt of dentist fees. But of the $1.3bn the federal government spends on the nation's teeth, more than half goes to subsidising the uptake of private health insurance. The inequality of Australia's dental care system can be seen in the numbers, says Peter Breadon, the health program director at the Grattan Institute. As people who cannot afford dental bills delay or skip treatment, untreated dental decay is on the rise and record numbers are turning up to hospitals for dental procedures, Breadon said. 'It is a big problem, and it's a growing problem as the impact of missing out on care builds up and as our population gets older.' Of all areas of health, the share of the cost borne by the patient for dental care is far higher than the other services, and according to Breadon it's being driven by dental care sitting outside the Medicare system. Breadon said, according to Grattan research, the share the patient pays for dental care is nine times higher than GP visits, five times higher than for medicines on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme 'and that is why over 2 million people say they delay or skip dental care'. According to latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data, Australia spends more than $12bn on dental services. More than 61% of that cost falls to the individual, health insurance funds cover 19%, and the federal government 11% and state governments 8%. 'We've seen the consequences of that [system],' Breadon said, 'with record numbers of people – over 80,000 – turning up to hospitals last year for dental procedures, including getting teeth removed, many of which could have been avoided if people had good access to dental care.' A 2023 Senate inquiry called for the government to put 'the mouth back in the body' by creating universal access to dental healthcare. That would mean expanding coverage under Medicare or a similar scheme. This, the inquiry said, would address the nation's two-tiered dental system where 'around half of Australians have acceptable oral and dental health and adequate access to services, and the other half do not'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Of the $1.36bn the federal government spent on dental services in 2022-23, about $825m went to premium rebates. Most Australians with private health insurance receive a private health insurance rebate – a contribution from government based on income, age and family status – to help pay the cost of their premiums. Of the $2.35bn total expenditure from all levels of government – including $995m investment in the same period by state and local governments to run public dental services – premium rebates accounted for more than a third of spending. Dr Ankur Singh, the chair of Lifespan Oral Health at the University of Sydney, said the insurance rebate exists to help relieve the public health system – but with dental it does not make a difference because so many low-income people cannot access public dental services. Public dental services meet just one-fifth of the needs of already limited eligible groups, he said. Insurance premium rebates only benefits those who can afford private health insurance, he said. 'People experiencing social disadvantage are punished twice,' he said. Breadon agreed spending on premium rebates does not benefit the most disadvantaged, although he said some older people who may not be high-income earners have private health insurance. The remainder of the federal government's $1.36bn spending on dental includes $90m for the Department of Veterans' Affairs' dental scheme and $446m for expenses, including the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), and supporting state and territory public dental services. The CDBS covers part or the full cost of some basic dental services for children whose parents receive some Centrelink payments. In the 2023-24 financial year, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care said more than 2.4 million children were eligible for the scheme, but only 39.2% used it. A 2023 review found usage much lower for rural children, First Nations children and children with disability. 'Work is under way to further promote the CDBS to eligible families to encourage increased take up of the scheme,' the spokesperson said. Breadon said Australia needs to move towards a universal scheme for dental. According to a Grattan report, the Greens' plan for universal dental, which cost more than $20bn a year once phased in, could be slashed to $7bn if it excluded cosmetic treatments and orthodontics, capped funding and targeted investment in underserved areas. Breadon described current access to dental a 'very unfair system'. 'Skimping on dental care is a false economy,' he said. 'It does lead to these long-term costs that involve people going to hospital for expensive treatments that could have been avoided.' A Department of Health and Aged Care spokesperson said work is underway to develop a new national oral health plan for 2025-34to improve oral health and reduce inequalities. The government supports access to dental care through state and territory funding agreements for public hospitals and adult public dental services, the National Health Reform Agreement, and grants to the Royal Flying Doctors Services, they said.
