The New Social Contract

What kinds of work will we be doing in 2040? What industries will still be going strong and which will have fallen away?

The training and education we need now will depend on the kinds of work – the industries and services – around which, as a nation we want to build our economy and society.

Australia is facing possibly the worst economic downturn in its history. So how should that sobering prospect reshape the relationship between universities, government and society – including industry?

Thanks to The New Social Contract episode five guests

Alison Pennington, a Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute

&

Megan Lilly, is head of Workforce Development at the Australian Industry Group (or AIG) – Australia’s peak industry association.

The news grabs and additional audio in this episode of The New Social Contract podcast came from the following sites:

‘From Back in Black to recession’, reported on AM, ABC, June 4, 2020.

’The recession we couldn’t avoid’ on RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Abc, June 4, 2020.

‘Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Australia has officially entered recession’ from ABC News, June 2 2020.

‘Treasurer warns the worst is yet to come as Australia’s economy enters recession’ from ABC News, June 3 2020.

The Paris Riots of 1968 ‘French students again clash with riot police, Paris, France’, published by British Pathe on Youtube.

‘The May 1968 protests that paralysed France’, published on Witness, by the BBC.

‘May 1968 Paris Riots’ on The History Hour, published by the BBC.

In the season finale of The New Social Contract, host Tamson Pietsch is joined by Dr Gwilym Croucher, Senior Lecturer at the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, to consider for the final time how the relationship between universities, the state and the public might be reshaped as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode we look beyond Federal Education Minister Tehan’s proposals to ask three questions:

1. What is the vision for higher education that lies behind the Coalition Government’s plans?

1. What bigger questions about universities do they raise?

1. What might be some of the other ways those questions could be answered?

Higher education leaders and policy makers in Australia are facing a lot of hard decisions right now.

The New Social Contract Podcast spoke with UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs  and Shadow Minister for Education and Training Tanya Plibersek to find out their different perspectives on the purpose and role of universities in the 21st century.

There are lots of factors contributing to the uncertainty in the tertiary sector at present – will international students return? How much debt can be sustained? What will happen to research funding?

But one thing that would make it easier to act in the present, is a clear plan for what universities should do in the future. What are universities in Australia for? The answer to that question will shape the kind of system we get.

*Note: The interview with Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs took place on Tuesday June 9 2020.

The interview with Tanya Plibersek, Shadow Minister for Education and Training took place on Tuesday June 16 2020.