Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) Response to Australian Universities Accord Final Report

The Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) welcomes the release of the Australian Universities Accord Final Report and acknowledges the work of the Accord Panel in developing this extensive blueprint for the future of Australian Higher Education system.

ACGR is pleased the Report recognises the vital role graduate research plays in the broader higher education ecosystem and the production of new knowledge to support nation building efforts now and into the future. Of particular note is the Report’s advocacy for an increase in funding support for PhD candidates which acknowledges them as the lynchpin to grow the future Australian research workforce and drive future R&D efforts. The Report states.

“Substantially increasing investment in RTP and rising minimum stipend rates would reform Australian research funding for the better. Increased funding for the RTP would ensure research training remains an attractive prospect for future researchers”.

The Report also recommends the establishment of a National Research Workforce Development Strategy. The Australian Council of Graduate Research commends the panel on this proposal as an essential piece of infrastructure to support the lifecycle of the researcher beginning with the PhD candidate.

Australian Council of Graduate Research President, Professor Clive Baldock, said, “The Australian Universities Accord Final Report highlights the important contribution that PhD candidates will make in generating the knowledge, skills and research that our nation needs if it is to prosper in the years ahead”.

We look forward to engaging on behalf of the graduate research community in the coming work of translating the recommendations of the Accord into tangible reform.