This submission makes 16 recommendations tackling the barriers disabled postgraduate students face: power imbalances in supervisory relationships, trying to survive on Austudy payments well below the poverty line whilst managing disability-related costs, amongst others.
Postgraduate students – particularly HDR candidates – need explicit attention in disability discrimination law. It is critical that disabled people are supported to be able to achieve postgraduate education and succeed whilst in their programs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2025
18th October 2025 – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the Expert Council on University Governance recently announced principles for university governance. These principles must be implemented in tandem with improved regulatory powers for TEQSA.
It is critical for the Expert council to embed the diverse perspectives of postgraduate and international student representatives, alongside their undergraduate peers.
Over the course of 2025, trust in our public universities has been eroded. CAPA acknowledges that Australian universities have grown in scale, complexity, and scope over the preceding decades. Universities are capable of self-governance, yet we must focus on the principle purpose of universities: to educate, to research and to uphold intellectual integrity. This necessitates that university governance incorporates the inefficient task of robust scholarship and debate.
“We want our universities to succeed in their mission of teaching and research,” said Jesse Gardner-Russell, CAPA National President.
“Australia has some of the leading higher education institutions in the world; we have world-class facilities, phenomenal academic and professional staff, and, of course, the best student cohorts; we must ensure our university governance is creating regulations, policies and processes which work for the students,” said Gardner-Russell.
Critically, CAPA is disappointed to hear that consultations with stakeholders revealed “scepticism about the contribution of staff and student representatives in all aspects of university governance.”
“We call on universities to proactively and genuinely engage with the Council in identifying scope for improvement in governance practices, and addressing areas of weakness in current arrangements,” said Gardner-Russell.
“University governing bodies need to be less reliant on external members that are disconnected from the institution, and instead have greater representation of the academics, professional staff, and students who have a stake in the institution’s success,” said Mitch Craig, CAPA National Secretary and 2023 Curtin University Council Member.
“Students bring significant value to university governing bodies, as demonstrated by institutions that embrace their contributions. Their presence is not symbolic; rather, they serve as genuine partners in shaping and advancing the mission of education. This represents a step in the right direction and highlights the potential for broader application across Australia,” said Viknash VM, CAPA Board Chair and 2023 UWA Senate Member.
In our submission to the Expert Council, and in our meetings with the Council, CAPA emphasised the value that postgraduate students can play in university governance.
“Postgraduate students are at the nexus of staff, students, and researchers. We are the perfect partners to work alongside academics and the university management to improve our universities,” said Jesse Gardner-Russell, CAPA National President
“[Post]Graduates are not just students: we are researchers, academics and future leaders. Stronger oversight of governance will ensure that the voices of HDR and Coursework students are not only heard, but embedded in the decision-making process across the Higher Education sector,” said Ethan Chou, President of The University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association.
CAPA welcomes the principles supporting student representatives on governing bodies to consult with the student body, and principles supporting timely induction and training to enable members to participate effectively.
“Students want to be connected to the community so that they can embed student needs into the long term vision of our universities,” said Gardner-Russell.”
“Our members across the country have told us about the challenges they face in needing to rapidly develop business, finance and governance skills in a short timeframe, with limited support from the university.”
“Universities exist for the public good; if universities are serious about transparency and accountability, they must empower students to be genuine partners in decision-making,” said Dr Aadhya Babu, President (Coursework) of the Association of Postgraduate Students, The University of Queensland.
Finally, we call on the Expert Council to commit to postgraduate and international student representative organisations to nominate an expert to participate in their ongoing work.
—ENDS—
Jesse Gardner-Russell
National President
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Inc.
Level 1, 120 Clarendon St, Southbank, Victoria 3006
President@capa.edu.au
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 2025
28th August 2025 – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the recent announcement by the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, to increase Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) for medical students to become GPs. However, CAPA is concerned as to how new prospective providers will establish quality medical schools by 2028, and the lack of supports to retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Under the newly proposed grants, Universities with already existing medical schools, with Australian Medical Council accreditation, may apply for a slice of the ~$25 Million stream A grant for 2025-2031. CAPA notes that Macquarie University, which currently does not offer medical degree CSPs and whose medical school, as a result, is largely exempt from funding restrictions that regulate CSPs, will be eligible for the grant. Moreover, the ~$5 Million in stream B funding is open to all universities from 2028, with guidelines suggesting that universities without an existing medical school could attain Australian Medical Council accreditation in 12-18 months.
CAPA welcomes the addition of separate, Needs Based Funding, which will be introduced from 1 January 2026 for students from low-SES backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students ,and students studying at regional campuses. This funding will be provided above the grant amounts. Critically, all eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will receive a medical CSP when they are accepted into eligible medical schools from 2026.
Without a Commonwealth Supported Place, Australian postgraduates are offered Domestic Full-Fee Paying (DFFP) places. As a result, there are currently 1,933 Australians paying up-to $89,984 per year to complete a postgraduate medical qualification. CSP places have stagnated since 2015, increasing just 6.8%, whereas DFFP places have increased 82% over the same period (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. Medical Degree Enrolments By Funding. Source: Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand.
“CAPA welcomes the much needed increase in Commonwealth Supported Places for medical degrees. CSPs are the gateway to affordable postgraduate education in our country and any increase will pay dividends for future Australians,” said CAPA National President and Ophthalmology PhD Candidate, Jesse Gardner-Russell. “An increase of 100 CSPs per provider could almost wipe-out domestic full-fee places for medical degrees.”
CAPA welcomes the provision that providers must demonstrate available supervisory capacity for clinical training placements and details of how the additional CSPs will not exacerbate the supervisory shortages. Concerningly, the grant guidelines appear to lack meaningful measures to ensure that medical education is focused on primary care, such as general practice and rural general practice, with evaluation only beginning from 2030. This raises questions about the accountability of the providers and how the grant will ensure that graduates apply to be a GP after they graduate.
“Universities must demonstrate genuine change, with immersive GP placements, stronger primary care teaching, better supervision and clear pathways that prepare students to choose general practice,” said CAPA Women’s Officer, and current MD student, Vaness Yap.
Importantly, rather than focusing on the support and retention of regional, low-SES and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, the guidelines appear focused on recruitment measurements. Critically, career pathways which require mandatory placements are often left out of reach to those from low SES backgrounds, living with a disability, with caring responsibilities, or are from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Notably, despite 17.7% of Australians self-reporting as living with a disability, only 2% of medical students self-report as living with a disability. Likewise, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are underrepresented in healthcare settings, where in 2021 only 600 doctors (0.5% of the workforce) identified as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“Focusing on retention is essential to ensuring that postgraduate education isn’t just for Australians from more privileged backgrounds,” said Gardner-Russell. “Increasing support during medical study, like paid prac, funded relocation and accommodation, is necessary to helping people from regional Australia, like myself, get a STEM postgraduate degree.”
“Although we appreciate the increased attention from the government to the medical education system, it may only serve to exacerbate the existing problems that students currently face. Thus there must be a focus on the retention and support for underrepresented groups in medical education, such as those in low SES-backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and even students with disabilities,” said CAPA Regional Officer, Charlie Tran.
CAPA urges the government and universities to prioritize the implementation of support programs such as paid practicals, funded relocation and accommodation.Furthermore, there must be a comprehensive strategy to address the current supervisory shortages provided to medical students.
ENDS
For Comment
Jesse Gardner-Russell, Vaness Yap & Charlie Tran
National President | Women’s Officer | Regional Officer
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Inc.
Level 1, 120 Clarendon St, Southbank, Victoria 3006President@capa.edu.au | Women@capa.edu.au | Regional@capa.edu.au
