Richard Wilson

Two significant reforms to cut red tape and position Victoria - the #EducationState as a globally attractive destination for overseas qualified teachers: - 1. Increased flexibility & transparency in recognising overseas teacher qualifications. 2. Modernising the Permission to Teach framework to provide schools with more clarity to meet their staffing needs. These reforms follow lots of feedback from principals, teachers and the broader education sector and will give principals and schools greater confidence when hiring highly qualified overseas teachers for classrooms in Victoria.

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“How much is too much?” The Group of Eight Chair and University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Scott asked The Australian Financial Review Education editor Julie Hare at the AFR Higher Education Summit yesterday, referring to the 330 pieces of legislation and regulatory instruments the University of Sydney must navigate. “If Jim Chalmers is saying that regulation is an anchor on productivity, then we are the poster child of that,” said Professor Scott, noting that unis have had to employ a lot of extra administrative staff because of that regulatory burden. The Group of Eight says regulation is absolutely necessary in this complex and rapidly changing environment, but it must be smart regulation - targeted, coordinated, and proportionate - or we risk diverting resources away from our core missions of education and research. Over-regulation is increasing uncertainty in Australia’s higher education sector - where uncertainly is already a buzz word due to policy changes like student caps, visa fee increases, course costs and the Job Ready Graduates Scheme, along with funding cuts and the recent geo-political shifts. Vicki Thomson #HigherEducation #Productivity #AFRHigherEducationSummit

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Victoria’s Independent schools inject $6.6 billion into the state economy each year, a new independent report commissioned by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) reveals.  This analysis also highlights the vital role schools play in supporting students, families and local communities across the state through jobs, infrastructure, international student income, investment and philanthropy.   Chief Executive of ISV, Rachel Holthouse, said the new report brings to light, impartial evidence of the sector’s broader contribution to the state.  Read the media release: https://bit.ly/4n6BPNL

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'An average Australian worker will change occupations 2.4 times in the next decade. We need the skills to be able to do that.' Commissioner Catherine de Fontenay explains why we are focusing on building the skills and adaptability of the Australian workforce in our interim report. 'This is important for productivity as well as for wellbeing. We want to make sure people get the qualifications they want and into jobs they're suited for and reach their full potential.' More: https://bit.ly/41xPhCt

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Teachers lead charge shaping classrooms Thank you to Peter Hanlon at The Australian Financial Review for this article. It was great to contribute to a piece that recognises the leadership, critical thinking, and responsible decision-making educators are demonstrating towards GenAI. The article reflects what many already know: teachers are leading innovation, resisting hype, and demanding responsible AI grounded in sound pedagogy. The article also points to organisations like Education Services Australia (ESA) and the eSafety Commissioner who are building capacity around digital safety and risk, and Wyndham Tech School, Brimbank Tech School and associated Communities and Practice empowering teachers and schools, which Smart Glasses Lab, coleader Dr. J Andrew Welsman has a wealth of knowledge about. What the article doesn’t point to, is academic integrity or assessment reform. With 72% of the teaching workforce identifying as women, and the rise of smart glasses, deepfakes, and covert surveillance through smartglasses, GenAI is not just a pedagogical issue - it’s a gendered workplace safety risk. This isn't down playing that work - it is uplifting the impacts GenAI has on student experience on placement. It demands we reconsider what 'classroom readiness' looks like. GenAI is reshaping student experience, and this shift cannot be ignored. To do so, is not only naïve - it is reckless. Further, in the article, I refer to www.AI4education.org, a free, open-access platform offering 40+ scenarios as a potential solution. The goal of these scenarios is simple: to improve student experience. Made possible thanks to Victoria University's Special Studies Program (SSP), these scenarios in 2025 alone, have been engaged with by educators from 29 countries and I hope they offer you practical activities to integrate into your curriculum too. Notably, however, this global interest, reinforces a broader truth: educators understand that the impact of GenAI on student experience is not limited to integrity or assessment reform. It includes digital safety, ethical innovation, protection from emerging harms, and inclusive, anticipatory governance. As universities prepare for the Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence, our AI strategies in teacher education must reflect the same principles: prevention, equity, care, and accountability. If practice about GenAI stays focused only learning outcomes, and plagiarism, it will miss deeper risks: deepfakes, biometric surveillance, and platform creep that impact student experience. Teachers are leading the way, lets do so in intital teacher education too. Our graduates must be equipped for a world where muck-up day this year could involve a deepfake of them, in a 'prank gone wrong'. This is the reality they are entering, and to equip them with anything less is a failure of duty of care. Massive thank you to Gemma Williams for VU research to have such great impact. #AIGE #AIgovernanceforEducation

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