Professional Historians Australia’s statement on proposed fee increases for humanities courses at Australian universities

Professional Historians Australia is deeply concerned about the Minister for Education the Hon Dan Tehan’s announcement that the fees for university humanities courses are going to increase significantly.

Proposed as a measure to ensure ‘job readiness’, the decision displays a deficient understanding and appreciation of the breadth of transferable skills obtained by humanities graduates. Humanities courses produce graduates who are creative, innovative, critical thinkers and problem solvers. These skills are hugely valuable in times of uncertainty and crisis, and are highly sought after by employers, as is evident on the government’s own website: https://australianjobs.employment.gov.au/jobs-future/skills-future

Making some university degrees accessible only to those sections of society who are able to pay for them, or who are comfortable with a large debt, disadvantages many students and produces homogenous graduates without diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This will have a negative impact on the cultural heritage of the nation and increase the inequalities in Australian society.

We call on the government to take this opportunity to think systematically about the university sector and develop funding models that encourage students to pursue study in the humanities.

PHA members around Australia

We encourage you to speak out on this issue by writing to members of the Australian Senate.

Feel free to use the letters and list of senators below to inspire your own advocacy.

Letter to Australian senators from Professional Historians Australia President Carmel Black

Letter to Australian senators from Professional Historians Association (Vic & Tas) President Alicia Cerreto

List of Senators

Read PHA PR Officer Francesca Beddie’s contribution to the debate here.

Fiona Poulton