Centre for Independent Studies

If you haven't applied yet, now is the perfect time to get your applications in for Liberty & Society. L&S is our Student Conference for young people interested in Classical Liberal ideas. Apply now! https://lnkd.in/gMrRfrfe

The federal government is pumping more money into education. But will it improve student outcomes? The reality: 📉 1 in 3 students are below NAPLAN proficiency 📉 15-year-olds today are behind their 2000 counterparts—by two years in maths 📉 School attendance is dropping, and Year 12 retention is going backwards More funding won’t fix education unless policies ensure: ✅ Disruption-free learning environments ✅ Evidence-based teaching (beyond just ‘small-group tutoring’) ✅ A knowledge-rich curriculum Without real accountability, we could be having this same debate in 10 years…with little to show for it. Read Trisha Jha's full op-ed for the Australian Financial Review here: https://lnkd.in/g63zJwKU

Following the 2022 federal election, seasoned observers of Australian politics argued that the Liberals faced an “existential crisis.” The party of Menzies and Howard, we were told, was doomed.    Yet polls show that the Coalition could defeat a first-term government for the first time in close to a century. How do we account for the changed political climate? Can the Liberals win back their once-safe metropolitan seats, such as Curtin in Perth, Ryan in Brisbane, Kooyong and Goldstein in Melbourne and Wentworth and Mackellar in Sydney? Or could the Liberals lose more erstwhile safe seats to the Teals in Sydney’s northern suburbs Bradfield and Berowra? Have they lost touch with professional women?     Join us in Sydney on Wednesday night for an overview of federal politics with Philip Ruddock, the former cabinet minister and veteran federal Liberal MP, whose wife Heather recently resigned from the Liberal Party to support Tina Brown, the local Teal Independent in Berowra.   https://lnkd.in/giUkx8vZ

Check out our new video explaining numeracy screening! We hope this will be a good resource to advance this important conversation. https://lnkd.in/g6GErwmE

Stuart Donovan will be joining Peter Tulip for a webinar today, “NZ shows the way on housing affordability” Last chance to register! https://lnkd.in/g_JWjzpd

[New Paper] "Less Crowded Houses. The success of NZ’s housing policy reforms and implications for Australia" by Stuart Donovan Australia has much to learn from New Zealand's recent reforms. The message was clear: housing is a national priority, and local opposition could not be allowed to stifle progress. Read the summary of Stuart Donavan's paper below.

Next Wednesday, Peter Tulip will be joining Joe Walker to discuss the housing crisis. Get you tickets to meet Peter and listen in on a conversation about arguably the most important issue facing Australia. https://lnkd.in/gwKzeg4x

Calling all Aussie primary schools! Enrol in our Early Numeracy Screening Project, which aims to create an Australian-validated screening tool for Foundation & Year 1 students. All independent schools and many other school systems in most states and territories are eligible. The conditions of the Ethics Approval mean we must provide schools with more information before you can enrol your school (informed consent). Follow the steps (https://lnkd.in/gutPx9jT) to: 1) Check whether your system is eligible 2) Learn what’s involved 3) Contact Kelly Norris to enrol your school (This research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Macquarie University, reference 520241819960163)

Calling all Aussie primary schools! Enrol in our Early Numeracy Screening Project, which aims to create an Australian-validated screening tool for Foundation & Year 1 students. All independent schools and many other school systems in most states and territories are eligible. The conditions of the Ethics Approval mean we must provide schools with more information before you can enrol your school (informed consent). Follow the steps (https://lnkd.in/gutPx9jT) to: 1) Check whether your system is eligible 2) Learn what’s involved 3) Contact Kelly Norris to enrol your school (This research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Macquarie University, reference 520241819960163)

Great news! We have approval from multiple school sectors and have started enrolling schools to assist us in our research to develop an evidence-based, Australian early numeracy screener 🎉🙌🥳 I can’t wait to get the final pieces in place so we can move ahead with gusto! Don’t forget to enrol - flyer with details here!