On 8 October, we hosted our first ANU-CPD Policy Dialogue for 2020, on ‘Our Federation and Education in the wake of COVID-19’.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now hosting this series as virtual roundtables, focussing on issues of the Federation and related topics that have emerged during the pandemic.

The Dialogue was hosted by Travers McLeod (CEO, Centre for Policy Development) and Sean Innis (Director, ANU Public Policy and Societal Impact Hub) and moderated by Glyn Davis AC. The discussion featured initial remarks from Myra Geddes (Social Impact General Manager, Good Start), Natalie Howson (Advisor, ANU Public Policy and Societal Impact Hub), Terry Moran AC (Chancellor, Federation University, and Chair, Centre for Policy Development) and Mary Ann O’Loughlin AM (Former Deputy Secretary, Skills and Higher Education, NSW Department of Education).     

The roundtable brought together leaders from across academia, government and civil society under the Chatham House Rule. The discussion provided participants with the opportunity to consider the future of our Federation and education as Australia moves beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Discussion

The discussion opened with participants discussing how COVID-19 has presented the education sector, from early childhood education, to schools and post secondary institutions, with a range of new challenges and opportunities, and also emphasised and enhanced pre-existing weaknesses and inequalities in the system. There was also discussion around identifying and empowering efficient service delivery models and mechanisms, the oversight of education from a holistic perspective, and how to achieve better collaboration across the sector.         

The discussion also touched on:

• The provision and accessibility of quality early childhood education
• How schools and post secondary institutions can adapt to meet future challenges 
• The impact of COVID-19 on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in schools 
• Understanding how the sector can provide students with the skills required to succeed in a post- COVID world
• The increasingly global nature of education and digital literacy

Participants

Glyn Davis AC (CEO, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU); David de Carvalho (CEO, The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority); Gareth Evans AC QC (Honorary Professorial Fellow, ANU); Glenn Fahey (Research Fellow in Education Policy, Centre for Independent Studies); Myra Geddes (Social Impact General Manager, Good Start); Roy Green (Special Advisor and Chair, UTS Innovation Council); Natalie Horvat (First Assistant Secretary, Department of Education, Skills and Employment); Natalie Howson (Advisor, ANU Public Policy and Societal Impact Hub); Andrew Hunter (Strategic Advisor, Minderoo – Thrive by Five), Jen Jackson (Program Director, Centre for Policy Development, and Education Lead, Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy); Sean Innis (Director, ANU Public Policy and Societal Impact Hub); Leslie Loble (Co-Chair, Council on Early Childhood Education, Centre for Policy Development); Justin Mohamed (Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Commission for Aboriginal Children and Young People); Travers McLeod (CEO, Centre for Policy Development); Terry Moran AC (Chancellor, Federation University, and Chair, Centre for Policy Development); Mary Ann O’Loughlin AM (Former Deputy Secretary, Skills and Higher Education, NSW Department of Education); Julie Sonnemann (Acting Program Director, Grattan Institute); Ryan Young (Director, Futures Hub, ANU)