The Mitchell Institute monitors the performance of Australia's education system, with a specific focus on developing and advocating for policies that reduce inequality.

Our work identifies who is experiencing reduced opportunities in education, the factors driving inequality and the policy solutions that will provide greater opportunities for all young people to succeed in education and their life beyond.

Key contacts

Peter Hurley
Director, Mitchell Institute
News

Inconsistent spend on education & training doesn’t support calls to improve job skills, report

28 August 2015

A new analysis shows that despite national calls from business, unions and community groups to improve job prospects and workforce skill levels, expenditure across education and training is disjointed and uneven.

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Report

Expenditure on education & training in Australia 2015

28 August 2015

Analysis conducted by the Mitchell Institute in 2014 examined Australia’s expenditure on education and training. This update revisits the data one year on to see what, if anything, has changed.

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Opinion

Modifying student loan system could ensure access for all students

29 July 2015

When HECS (HELP) was introduced in 1989 it applied only to undergraduates in public sector universities.

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Opinion

First move to clean up mess in vocational education

28 July 2015

The COAG leaders communique issued after the heads of Australian government met in Sydney last week foreshadowed a potential shift in responsibility for VET to the Commonwealth government.

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Report

Feasibility & design of a tertiary education entitlement in Australia

20 July 2015

This report models the costs of a single income contingent loans scheme for higher education and vocational education and training (VET) students.

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Opinion

Leaked school funding proposals: should we be worried?

23 June 2015

Mitchell Fellow Bronwyn Hinz examines the four school funding reform proposals contained in a confidential draft of the education Green Paper on the Reform of Federation.

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Opinion

TAFE monopoly not good for long term

17 June 2015

Mitchell Professorial Fellow Peter Noonan comments on policy changes to TAFE funding in South Australia and the impact on students and the broader VET sector.

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News

Trying to ‘catch up’ to Asia's education test scores not good for Australia's future

28 May 2015

Governments in the high-performing education systems of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore have been actively implementing a drastic and comprehensive school reform agenda.

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Report

Lessons that matter: What should we learn from Asia’s school systems?

28 May 2015

In this report, Mitchell Professorial Fellow Yong Zhao investigates three decades of education changes in East Asian education systems and draws out the lessons that matter for Australia and other nations.

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