The Australian Historical Association has started a petition calling for the repeal of the Job-Ready Graduates Policy.
The petition is addressed to the Parliament of Australia and the AHA are asking for people to support it.
From the petition:
During the debate over the JRG bill, Labor Senators correctly noted that the peculiar targeting of the humanities and social sciences on the grounds of their graduates not being job-ready was also “wrong”. They noted that these disciplines “offer students robust generalist educations, with strong employment prospects upon completion … [T]he evidence is that, three years after completion, [arts] graduates are employed at the same rate as science or maths graduates.”
Subsequent research, in Australia and elsewhere, confirms this remains the case. The 2024 Australian Universities Accord Final Report declared that the JRG package had “failed.” It highlighted that many more students now face crushing debts, with fees for most BAs approaching $50,000, and, at the same time, that arts disciplines “critical for future jobs and innovation” are being reduced.
We are profoundly disappointed that the Albanese government has still not acted on its 2021 convictions and repealed JRG. The delay has had cascading and damaging consequences.We urge the government to abolish JRG and to institute a new fee regime which does not punish students who choose to study the humanities and social sciences. Our university sector should instead reflect the values of a society that takes a humane and ethical responsibility for its past and future.
See the full petition here and sign: https://www.openpetition.org/au/petition/online/repeal-job-ready-graduates-policy-now-restoring-equity-in-higher-education#petition-main
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