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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 2025
25th August 2025 – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) congratulates the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, for legislating the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence. CAPA welcomes the government’s commitment to protecting postgraduate students, and urges the government to continue delivering on all 47 recommendations made by the Universities Accord.
The 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) found that one in six students had been sexually harassed since starting at university, and that postgraduate research students were more likely to have been sexually harassed than undergraduate students.
“Postgraduate students, such as those undertaking research or work-integrated learning, are the most vulnerable students at our universities. This legislation will complement the work of the National Student Ombudsman to ensure that postgrads no longer fall through the cracks when it comes to safety,” said CAPA National President Jesse Gardner-Russell. “We thank universities such as The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney, and Monash University, who read the sobering 2021 report and took proactive steps to begin improving their culture and practices,”
CAPA is proud to have worked with the Department of Education on developing the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education, the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, and advocating for the creation of the National Student Ombudsman in 2023 and 2024.
The Code, which establishes a new standalone framework to reduce incidences of gender-based violence, prioritise safety, strengthen prevention efforts, improve the response to gender-based violence, and hold providers accountable for their performance, including in student accommodation, is sorely needed in the current university settings.
“These systems must be developed to respond to gender-based violence in a trauma-informed way, to ensure that victim-survivors are heard, supported, and provided with just outcomes,” said CAPA Women’s Officer Vaness Yap.
“Postgraduate students, often being mature-aged students, often face unique vulnerabilities compared to undergraduates, are more likely to report experiences of sexual harassment during professional placements and work-integrated learning. Universities and employers must work together to ensure robust mechanisms are in place, so that no student is left unprotected simply because of where their study takes them.”
“The upcoming 2026 NSSS will be essential to understanding whether this crisis has worsened, and identifying concrete policies, procedures, and safeguards are needed to protect postgraduate students from gender-based violence,” continued Yap. “Our members are committed to working with universities to ensure stronger governance and transparent accountability measures that ensure genuine prevention of, and response to, gender-based violence across all institutions”
“There’s no doubt this is a significant step to protect postgrads. We are excited to see renewed government momentum in the higher education sector, such as increasing HELP repayment thresholds, the National Student Ombudsman, addressing university governance issues, and the creation of ATEC. We hope that this momentum translates to action on the remaining Universities Accord recommendations, such as increasing the HDR stipend and ending taxation on the part-time stipend,” said Gardner-Russell.
ENDS
For Comment
Jesse Gardner-Russell & Vaness Yap
National President | Women’s Officer
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Inc.
Level 1, 120 Clarendon St, Southbank, Victoria 3006President@capa.edu.au | Women@capa.edu.au
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2025
19th August 2025 – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the Education Minister’s recently announced review into the powers of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
The Senate Education and Employment Committee Inquiry into University Governance has revealed a deeply concerning governance culture at the Australian National University. This has occurred amid a landmark national debate around productivity, damaging trust in our public universities.
CAPA believes that backing higher education and R&D is critical to preserving Australia’s place as the ‘clever country’. Yet, any increase in R&D expenditure can only occur with the knowledge that our hard-working academics, researchers, and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates will see the much-needed funding.
CAPA acknowledges that Australian universities have grown in scale, complexity, and scope over the preceding decades. They must comply with tightly interwoven legislation and regulations at the State and Federal levels. Universities are capable of self-governance, yet it is clear that the current corporate-style governance arrangements, conceived by the Howard government, is not only outdated, but have created a disconnect between the universities and key stakeholders: the students and staff.
In our submission to the Inquiry into University Governance, CAPA proposed changes to TEQSA’s powers to put students at the heart of University Governance.
The majority of university governing members are appointed and do not interact with students. Student positions in university governance groups have frequently been described as ‘tokenistic’ or ‘obligatory’ by the student members filling those positions.
“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.
“[Post]Graduate students will keep fighting for dedicated postgraduate representation on our University’s Governing Council,” he said.
CAPA calls for TEQSA to be given the powers to independently audit or appoint an independent auditor for the reviews of governing bodies of Australian universities.
“The University of Western Australia Postgraduate Students’ Association strongly supports the review into TEQSA’s powers. Without genuine representation in governance structures, student perspectives are too often treated as symbolic rather than central,” said Charlotte Backshall, President of UWA PSA.
We also call for the TEQSA Higher Education Standards to be amended to prioritise and include student participation, specifically Postgraduate Coursework and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) participation in all university corporate governance structures.
“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.
“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.
Finally, we call for the amendment of the Higher Education Standards Framework to include a framework for how universities should work with students as partners in corporate and academic governance.
“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 student-focused and allow students to play a central role in its design,” said Gardner-Russell.
Universities continue to carry the majority of the nation’s research load, investing $14 billion in 2022, with over half funded from their own revenues. CAPA backs calls to increase public investment in R&D to the OECD average of 0.74 per cent of GDP, yet believes that university governance overhaul is necessary for trust in any R&D expenditure boost.
—ENDS—
Postgraduate education is becoming critical for domestic Australians to remain competitive in the labour market, pay down their HELP debts and save for a home. The 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey demonstrated that 90.3% of recent domestic postgraduate coursework graduates are in full-time employment, with a median salary of $97,000, compared with just 79% of domestic undergraduate graduates with a median salary of $71,000. Yet as the number of domestic postgraduate Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for domestic Australians does not meet demand, many Australians in postgraduate degrees paying full-fees, requiring them to work to afford postgraduate study.
Read the Full Submission Here:
12th of August – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the Productivity Commission’s recommendations for a National Credit Transfer system and reforms to Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which will help postgraduates, particularly those facing time and financial constraints when undertaking work-related training, to complete their courses. However, CAPA is disappointed to see no reform on the unproductive taxes placed on postgraduates receiving Commonwealth Prac Payment and part-time Higher Degree by Research (HDR) stipend, to complete their work-related training.
Read the Full Release Below:
5th of August – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the clarity provided to the international education sector after the recent announcement of the 2026 National Planning Level for international student enrolments, including provisions around student accommodation, to ensure both domestic and international students have access to safe and secure housing.
Read the Full Release Below:
4th of August – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) is urging the Federal Government to act decisively to fix Australia’s fragmented research system, as new data shows the country is on track to face a shortfall of 12,000 PhD-qualified scientists by 2031. PhD candidates are essential for research productivity in Australia. CAPA’s analysis of the 2024 CWTS Leiden rankings of research productivity indicates that PhD stipend rates are key drivers of research productivity…
