Media Release
12 May 2026
The federal Budget has delivered needed tax reforms but has missed an opportunity to fix Australia's universities, with the government failing to take the urgent action needed to fix a disastrous funding model.
The National Tertiary Education Union says while it welcomes the government's commitment to the universities accord reform agenda, tonight's Budget does not match the scale of the problem facing Australian higher education.
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said failing to replace the Morrison government’s Jobs Ready Graduates scheme would hurt universities.
"Jobs Ready Graduates has been a policy dumpster fire that this government didn’t start but it has failed to extinguish,” Dr Barnes said.
“This is a fundamentally unfair, ineffective and corrosive model that is widely seen as an abject failure. It punishes students and cuts funding.
“Failing to fix Job Ready Graduates with a government now in its second term is beyond disappointing. That’s exactly why the NTEU members will ramp up our campaign for fairer course fees and a funding model that delivers the universities we need.”
Universities regulator TEQSA will receive $9.4 million over the next four years as its powers expand.
“Giving the regulator some real teeth and the funding it needs to use them is critical,” Dr Barnes said.
“While the government is listening and acting on the NTEU’s campaign to end the governance nightmare plaguing the sector, we need more investment in these measures if they are to make a real difference.”
"The government has set out a genuine long-term vision for higher education. But without sufficient funding, the noble ambition of sending more students to universities simply cannot be realised.”
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