Disability News: Vol 1 No 6 - Monday, 1 August 2005
Enhancing post secondary education, training and employment opportunities for people with a disability RDLO & DCOs National Website http://www.adcet.edu.au/rdco/	Compiled by Timothy Hart DCO for Northern, Central and Southern Sydney

To return to the DCO Disability Newsletter Archive Page go to http://www.cdds.med.usyd.edu.au/dco/newsletter or click here

Conferences:
The Global Access Project (GAP) Inaugural International Forum ‘Sharing the Knowledge’
Presented by Macquarie Customised Accessibility Services M-CAS, September 29th & 30th, 2005
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia,
An equity focussed Forum aimed at addressing the GAP between the needs of students and employees with disabilities and current services and technologies. The Forum will include a showcase of & workshops with new adaptive technologies, case studies from end users and interactive panel sessions. For further information or to register contact http://www.cfl.mq.edu.au/mcas/gap/ Enquiries +61 2 9850 7570

The Global Access Project (GAP) is an initiative of Macquarie University's Centre for Flexible Learning and has grown out of Macquarie Customised Accessibility Services. The aim of the GAP forum is to provide an international forum where delegates can share knowledge, experience, technologies and methods for facilitating equity of access to information and knowledge in both the Education and Industry sectors. This forum provides an ideal opportunity for delegates to both participate and learn about new developments in the accessibility area.

The GAP forum is an equity focussed forum which will address the divide between the needs of students and employees with disabilities and current services and technologies. We are fortunate to have two International speakers, Frances West from IBM USA and Dr Martin Morrey from Intrallect UK, as well as a line up of engaging and stimulating speakers from Australia. The Forum will include a showcase of new adaptive technologies, technology workshops, case studies from end users and interactive panel sessions.
International Keynote addresses from
Frances West, Director of IBM’s World Wide Accessibility Center, IBM USA
Dr Martin Morrey, Intrallect UK, (elearning systems and bespoke software)
Special Guest speakers include
Dr Sev Ozdowski, Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission
John Loxton, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Macquarie University, Sydney
Suzanne Colbert, CEO, Employers Making a Difference (EMAD)
Helen Dakin, Senior Legal Offi cer, Australian Copyright Council
Mark Bagshaw, Manager IBM Australia & NZ Accessibility Centre
http://www.cfl.mq.edu.au/mcas/gap/

Education:
Higher learning, not higher earning
By Louise Hall Education Reporter
July 31, 2005
The Sun-Herald
Salaries for new graduates are at an all-time low against average weekly earnings of men as a flood of tertiary-educated people enter the workforce.
The growth in the number of graduates coming out of universities was forcing many to take lower paid jobs or positions outside their field of study, Graduate Careers Australia research manager Bruce Guthrie said.
He said graduate starting salaries had fallen steadily as a percentage of average weekly earnings, to 81.6 per cent in 2004.
"In 1977 graduates earned 100 per cent. That is, a graduate starting salary was the same as the average weekly earnings," he said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/higher-learning-not-higher-earning/2005/07/30/1122144056972.html

Students find work-study balance hard
By Rachel Kleinman
July 28, 2005
Teenagers making the transition from school to university find that juggling work and study is their biggest challenge.
But despite this difficulty almost all still enjoy student life in their first tertiary education year, research has found.
A study by the Australian Council for Educational Research found that 50 per cent of first-year university students and 35 per cent of first-year TAFE students found it hard to strike a balance between work and study.
Duncan McBain, 19, is studying for a bachelor of early childhood education at Melbourne University. And, although he lives at home, he works up to 11 hours a week.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/students-find-workstudy-balance-hard/2005/07/27/1122143907127.html

Uni fees block poor students: study
July 27, 2005 - 6:29PM
Higher university costs are deterring poor students, a new study says.
Australian Catholic University researcher Sarah Wright says she has found that a lower proportion of students from low socio-economic backgrounds are taking on tertiary studies.
Ms Wright used Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures to compare the financial backgrounds of Sydney students in 1996 and 2001.
She found the university participation rate among students from reputedly wealthy areas rose by 0.611 per cent to 5.461 during the period.
At the same time, the participation rate within poorer socio-economic areas rose by only 0.273 per cent, to 3.390.
"Even though the number of students at university increased, the increase in the cost of university has impacted on lower socio-economic groups," Ms Wright said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Uni-fees-block-poor-students-study/2005/07/27/1122143901109.html

University graduates short-changed
By Shane Green
Education Editor
July 27, 2005
Starting pay for new graduates is not keeping pace with the growth in average weekly earnings, indicating that a university education is now required for lower paying jobs.
The latest annual survey by Graduate Careers Australia shows that last year, new bachelor degree graduates were paid on average $38,000 — an increase of $1000 or 2.7 per cent on the previous year.
But over the same period, average weekly earnings for males — the benchmark used in the national survey — increased by 3.3 per cent, up $1500 to $46,600.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/university-graduates-shortchanged/2005/07/26/1122143849471.html

Catholic, industry teams get nod for trade schools
By Linda Doherty, Education Editor
July 16, 2005
New Australian Technical Colleges have been announced for Wollongong and Port Macquarie, but Sydney will not know who its winning bidder is until the end of the year.
The Federal Government said yesterday that Adelaide would have two trade-training colleges, "given its manufacturing base", four would be set up in Victoria, three in Queensland and one in the Northern Territory.
The Government has attributed the delay in naming colleges for western Sydney, Dubbo, the Hunter, Gosford, Lismore/Ballina and Queanbeyan to strong competition in some regions.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/catholic-industry-teams-get-nod-for-trade-schools/2005/07/15/1121429359380.html

Older students deserve rent help: Dems
July 14, 2005 - 2:54PM
The Australian Democrats have launched a petition urging the federal government to allow older students to receive rent assistance.
Democrats higher education spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja said it was unfair that thousands of students were missing out on up to $98 a fortnight, simply because of their age.
Eligible full-time students under 25 years are entitled to Youth Allowance, while full-time students aged 25 and over can only apply for Austudy.
The basic payment rate is the same for both, but Youth Allowance recipients can apply for additional rent assistance.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Older-students-deserve-rent-help-Dems/2005/07/14/1120934347967.html

Prestige, money driving wedge between schools
By Karen Barlow for The World Today
A comparison of recent statistics on high-school leaving results suggests a new divide may be forming between public and private education.
While many private schools are marketing themselves as gateways to universities, it seems school leavers from public schools are increasingly opting instead to take up a trade.
David Giblin from the New South Wales Parents and Citizens Federation says there are now different motives for pursuing year 12 certificates such as the HSC or VCE.
"Gone are the days when the HSC was a credential only for university entrance," he said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1412638.htm

Newcastle Uni votes to cut jobs
July 12, 2005
NEWCASTLE University has endorsed a plan to slash more than 400 jobs in an effort to fight its way out of financial crisis.
The University of Newcastle Council today voted to adopt the proposal to cut 412 jobs to cope with its projected sixth deficit in a row.
"This decision reflects the strong commitment of the University Council, the staff and the unions to actively deal with our current financial position and through these changes restore the university to a sound financial footing," Newcastle University vice-chancellor Nick Saunders said today.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15910924%255E1702,00.html

Uni class sizes smallest in 10 years
By David Wroe
Canberra
July 13, 2005
Class sizes at Australian universities have fallen for the first time in a decade, but students still outnumber staff by almost 20 to 1.
Last year, universities had 19.4 students for each academic staff member, down from 19.7 in 2003.
The drop follows 15 years of almost unbroken increases since 1990 when the average student-to-staff ratio was 12.9. Victoria had the lowest ratio of the big states with 19, compared with 19.1 in NSW and 21.6 in Queensland.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/uni-class-sizes-smallest-in-10-years/2005/07/12/1120934238502.html

Fewer public school pupils want degrees
By Linda Doherty Education Editor
July 12, 2005
Year 12 students in independent schools have their sights set firmly on university degrees, while public school students are increasingly less likely to aspire to tertiary education, according to 10-year HSC trend data.
In 1994, 92 per cent of public school HSC students were eligible for university entrance ranks but by 2003 the rate had fallen to 80 per cent as more students chose vocational subjects that led to trade qualifications.
Students must sit exams in at least 10 units of academic subjects, including English, to be eligible for a universities admission index (UAI) score. They can count only two units of a vocational subject, such as construction, towards their UAI.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fewer-public-school-pupils-want-degrees/2005/07/11/1120934188940.html

New class of schooling
OPINION
By Brian Caldwell
July 11, 2005
Current state and federal governments have been in power long enough for judgements to be made about their efforts in school reform. Despite some fine work by able ministers, teachers and leaders at all levels, including those in Victoria, it is clear that these efforts are nowhere near bold enough. Disparity in educational achievement and failure to build a skills base to meet national need will be as much a concern in 10 years' time as they are now unless a more visionary approach is adopted.
At the heart of the problem is that governments are endeavouring to improve a framework for public education designed in the 19th and early 20th century.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/new-class-of-schooling/2005/07/11/1120934176011.html

Govt to hold disability talks
July 11, 2005
THE NSW government has allocated more than $500 million for disability accommodation in its budget but there is still more to be done, Disability Minister John Della Bosca has said.
Mr Della Bosca will tomorrow host talks to assist the state government improve accommodation services for the disabled.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15901170%255E1702,00.html

Cain warns of more uni cutbacks
By Shane Green
Education Editor
July 11, 2005
Former Victorian premier John Cain has warned of looming cutbacks by Australia's financially squeezed universities, as institutions "thrash around" to find new ways to get money.
In a bleak assessment of the state of higher education, the former Labor premier says those running universities have no certainty about their medium or long-term futures.
"Many see closures of some courses and departments as imminent possibilities," Mr Cain said in a speech at the weekend to the Adelaide Festival of Ideas.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/cain-warns-of-more-uni-cutbacks/2005/07/10/1120934125743.html

Testing time for Nats in the fight over uni student fees
By Michelle Grattan
Political editor
Canberra
July 10, 2005
If it wasn't that Barnaby Joyce has a financial administration degree, it would be tempting to dub it the alliance of hayseeds and eggheads.
In an unlikely unity ticket, a big section of the National Party is at one with the nation's vice-chancellors to resist a largely ideological push by the Liberals that would prohibit universities imposing compulsory service levies on students.
The Government's bill to insist student unionism be voluntary is to stop money going to political (for which read "left") causes. But the legislation, now in Parliament, hits the whole service fee.
While some of this money winds up in student political campaigns, a lot finances amenities and activities, including sport and non-political clubs.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/michelle-grattan/testing-time-for-nats-in-the-fight-over-uni-student-fees/2005/07/09/1120704595574.html

Nelson to Nats: support student union bill
By Michelle Grattan
July 10, 2005
Education Minister Brendan Nelson has warned worried Nationals that the Government's voluntary student unionism bill is "totemic" to Liberals, bluntly telling them they should support it for the good of the Coalition.
Reaffirming that the Government would not modify the bill, Dr Nelson said that to try to talk Liberals out of this would be "like trying to talk the Nationals out of drought relief".
His comments came as Queensland National senator Barnaby Joyce took a swipe at Liberal MP Alby Schultz, who had said the Nationals rode on the coat-tails of Prime Minister John Howard's strong leadership and were no longer the voice of rural and regional Australia.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/nelson-to-nats-support-student-union-bill/2005/07/09/1120704597486.html

Employment:
Men move from work to welfare
By John Garnaut
July 29, 2005
Women are entirely responsible for the expansion of Australians' workforce participation over the past decade, with almost three-quarters employed at some stage last year.
A new Bureau of Statistics study shows 73 per cent of women worked in the year to February, up from 69 per cent in 1999.
The increasing female working rate broadly corresponds with a falling unemployment rate, and is overwhelmingly due to rising levels of part-time employment.
The male working rate, in contrast, has been stuck at 85 per cent since 1995 - despite the official jobless rate for men tumbling from 8.7 to 4.8 per cent over the decade.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/men-move-from-work-to-welfare/2005/07/28/1122143966682.html

Fewer teens 'dropping out': study
July 12, 2005
MORE than 90 per cent of Australian teenagers were working or studying last year, a new report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.
Only eight per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds were either on the dole or not part of the labour force in 2004, while a further six per cent were working part-time and not studying.
But the vast majority - 86 per cent - were either at school, studying, working full-time or combining study and work, the ABS Australian Social Trends report showed.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15907510%255E1702,00.html

Welfare:

Hawke wants inquiry into nation's poor
By CrAIG BILDSTIEN
29jul05
FORMER Labor prime minister Bob Hawke, who boldly declared 18 years ago "no child will live in poverty by 1990", yesterday called for a royal commission into the poor.
In a keynote address at the South Australian Council of Social Service forum in Adelaide, Mr Hawke described poverty as "a blight on society". He urged the group to "keep up the protest".
He said it was "obscene" that up to 2.4 million people in Australia lived in poverty after 14 years of record economic growth.
"A family of four living on $416 a week – can you imagine it?" he said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16083269%255E911,00.html

Welfare spending climbs by 8%: report
July 28, 2005 - 6:24AM
Spending on welfare services climbed more than eight per cent to $17 billion in 2002-03, new research shows.
Welfare spending climbed $225 per person in the five years to 2002-03 and rose 8.2 per cent in the final year to $17.1 billion, a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report shows.
In 2002-03, services for older Australians soaked up more than a third of federal government funds, while families and children took more than 35 per cent.
Disabled people attracted more than a third of state and territory government funding.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Welfare-spending-climbs-by-8-report/2005/07/28/1122143929758.html

Families 'lose in welfare shake-up'
July 25, 2005
AT least 300,000 welfare recipients would be worse off under the Government's shake-up of the sector over the next three years, Australia's peak welfare body said today.
From July 1 next year, when most of the changes are scheduled to come into force, at least 150,000 adults and 150,000 children would have less money to live on, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) said.
If a sole parent applied for benefits after July next year, they would be $20 a week worse off than they would be now, it said.
Disabled people would have $40 less a week, ACOSS said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16039205%5E1702,00.html

Job seekers told: no AWA, no pay
July 24, 2005 - 4:55PM
Job seekers are having their benefits docked for refusing to sign individual contracts when they get an offer of work, unions and Labor say.
People on unemployment and job search benefits can be penalised for breaching their obligations to Centrelink, including for refusing to take a job which requires them to sign an Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA).
Although the system has existed for some time, the Government's plan to push more disabled people and sole parents onto job search payments like Newstart Allowance means it could affect thousands more welfare recipients, Labor says.
"They've moved a whole new category of people into the system," Labor's family and community services spokesman Chris Evans said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/job-seekers-told-no-awa-no-pay/2005/07/24/1122143721482.html

Decline in men on disability pension
David Uren, Economics correspondent
July 19, 2005
THE number of men claiming disability pensions has stopped growing for the first time in 20 years, but this has been offset by a surge in the number of claims from older women.
Research by the federal parliamentary library disproves a widely held belief that the meteoric growth in disability pensions has been driven by older men dropping out of the workforce before they were eligible for the old age pension.
The portion of men aged 60 to 64 on the disability pension has dropped from 25.3 to 21.5 per cent over the past seven years, while the number of men aged 50 to 59 on the disability pension has fallen from 11.5 to 10.2 per cent.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15975979%5E2702,00.html

Call for welfare expenses cuts
By Liz Gooch
Social Affairs Reporter
July 14, 2005
Australia should move from being a welfare state to one where people are responsible for their own health and education expenses, according to the Centre for Independent Studies.
In a report to be released today, Professor Peter Saunders, social research director of the right-leaning think tank, says there are strong arguments to support the move.
While the welfare system was created to provide health care, income security and education for those who could not afford it, increasing numbers of people could now afford to buy these things, he said.
For the rest of the article go to
http://theage.com.au/news/national/call-for-welfare-expenses-cuts/2005/07/13/1120934302294.html

Schizophrenia more common in west
By Janelle Miles
July 11, 2005 SCHIZOPHRENIA was much more common in the developed world, possibly because people with the mental illness in poorer countries were more likely to recover, an Australian expert said today.
In the most comprehensive survey of the prevalence of schizophrenia worldwide, John McGrath and colleagues from the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, reviewed data from 188 studies published between 1965 and 2002.
Their findings are expected to rewrite international textbooks on the devastating mental illness characterised by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganised communication, poor planning and reduced motivation.
For the rest of the article go to
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15892153%255E1702,00.html

Speechs:
Minister Peter Dutton
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
21/07/2005
Disability and Work: Inclusion or Coercion
Australian Social Policy Conference 2005
Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW
Thank you Alan (Dr Alan Morris).
Thank you very much for the invitation, I am pleased to have the chance to speak with you on this important topic – ‘Disability and Work: Inclusion or Coercion’ - in this the 25th year of the Social Policy Research Centre.
Let me say at the outset, I think that work, where there exists a capacity to work, is fundamental to a person’s sense of wellbeing.
Having a job creates the opportunity to get ahead financially, to make friends through work and to contribute to the community and these are things that make people feel better about themselves and to feel connected with others.
I don’t believe that people should miss out on all the benefits that come from work simply because of a disability.
For the rest of the Speech go to
http://www.dewr.gov.au/ministersAndMediaCentre/mediacentre/detail.asp?show=3414&creator=

Media Releases:
New Australian Technical Colleges announced
15/07/2005 - http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/policy_initiatives_reviews/key_issues/technicalcolleges/default.htm
Minister Hardgrave has announced the first of the new Australian Technical Colleges. The colleges will provide young Australians with the opportunity to commence their training in a traditional trade through a School-Based New Apprenticeship while at the same time completing academic subjects leading to a Year 12 certificate.

All Students should have Access to Rent Assistance
Senator Natasha Stott Despoja
Democrats Senator for South Australia
Australian Democrats spokesperson for Higher Education
The Australian Democrats will today launch a petition urging the Government to stop discriminating against Austudy recipients, by making them eligible for Rent Assistance.
Democrats' Higher Education Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, who initiated the recent Senate inquiry into student income support, said it was unfair that thousands of students around Australia were missing out on up to $98 each fortnight, simply because of their age.
Eligible full-time students under 25 are entitled to Youth Allowance, while full-time students aged 25 and over can only apply for Austudy. The basic payment rate is the same for both groups, but only Youth Allowance recipients are entitled to apply for additional Rent Assistance.
For the rest of this Media release go to
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=4708&display=1

New Resources:
Note that all ABS research publications are now available free from the ABS website is http://www.abs.gov.au/.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was given additional funding in the last Budget to allow free access to electronic versions of ABS publications on the ABS web site. This improves the availability of official statistics to all Australians but is of particular use for program designers and social researchers.
You can now access an expanded range of free publications on the ABS web site, including:
* electronic publications (PDF and HTML based content); and
* electronic tables in spreadsheet or data cube format which contain publication tables.
The ABS is also considering adding further free on the web content from 1 January 2006. Pending a final decision, this may include most, if not all, remaining standard priced products such as:
* time series spreadsheets; and
* other spreadsheets and data cubes.
The ABS website in the process of being redeveloped. In the past data was sometimes difficult to find and the content categories were not obvious to the casual user. The improvements include an enhanced search function, clearer categories and descriptions, and an easier to use entry page. The improvements make using the site a far more time-efficient.
Check it out, it could be useful for your programs.

Vol 1 No 6
Compiled by Timothy Hart DCO for Northern, Central and Southern Sydney

To return to the DCO Disability Newsletter Archive Page go to http://www.cdds.med.usyd.edu.au/dco/newsletter or click here