JRG Submission: Consultation on the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2025 Posted in News, Research on April 16, 2026 by Sue White. The Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS) has lodged its submission to the Government’s consultation on the Job Ready Graduates (JRG) Scheme as part of the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2025. The full submission is available here. While the JRG reforms affect all fields of education, they have significant implications for university science, which we highlight in our submission. University science underpins Australia’s innovation system, workforce capability and research strength. Our submission draws attention to the funding impacts of the JRG settings on Science and Engineering, and the consequences for delivering high-quality, resource-intensive education. We also consider the broader balance of student and government contributions across disciplines and the need for settings that support both access and sustainability. Key points from the ACDS submission: Science and Engineering remain underfunded by around $6,000 per student compared to indexed pre-JRG levels, creating ongoing structural pressure on university science faculties. Reduced funding is impacting universities’ capacity to deliver high-cost, high-quality teaching, including laboratory and field-based learning essential for job-ready graduates. Government contributions to Science and Engineering have not been restored to pre-JRG levels, despite rising costs and increasing expectations on universities. The current fee structure does not effectively incentivise student choice, while high HASS contributions may deter participation—particularly among equity groups. ACDS urges significant and comprehensive reform of the JRG settings, including restoring STEM funding and adopting the IRU’s proposed three-step approach to ensure long-term system sustainability. Download the full submission.
