Earlier this month, a senior federal Labor MP put forward a proposal to make Year 12 compulsory for all Australian students. The proposal attracted widespread opposition, and for good reason, according to vocational education researcher Associate Professor Erica Smith from Charles Sturt University (CSU).

Australia should introduce a national disability insurance scheme as it supports the commitment the nation made when the then Federal government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in July 2008, according to a CSU academic in health services.

Earlier this month, the OECD released a report which shows that Australia spends less on early childhood education than any other nation in the industrialised world. It prompted calls from both sides of federal politics for a national approach to early childhood education. Fran Press, Charles Sturt University senior lecturer in early childhood education, says “What we have at the moment is a dog’s breakfast".

"I believe it is a worse health problem than tobacco," says Professor Patrick Ball, from Charles Sturt University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, "for the first time in human history, Type 2 Diabetes is more common than Type 1."

Professor Don Thomson from Charles Sturt University’s School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies is a Registered Psychologist and a Barrister-at-law. He was recently awarded the Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Forensic Psychologists inaugural distinguished contributions award. He says the legal system is not loaded against the victim as often claimed. In fact, in trials where there are mulitple defendants, “research shows you are more likely to be convicted with other co-defenders than if you are tried by yourself”.

"South America has been neglected at large by Australia," says Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. Australia and Chile in particular will build closer ties this week when the Chilean Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Jose Luis Balmaceda, visits the Wagga Wagga Campus of CSU (Tuesday 26 September).

The communities of CSU and Bathurst are saddened by the death of Mr Bob Dengate, a leading teacher educator, education innovator, and local radio presenter.

I was delighted to host the Federal Education Minister the Honourable Julie Bishop on her first visit to Charles Sturt University on 24 August. Her attendance at the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus saw her launch our state of the art Veterinary Science laboratory facility, as well as meet with our Senior Women’s network and launch important drought research in which CSU is involved.

In a bid to help overcome the critical lack of scientists and science teachers, especially in inland Australia, Charles Sturt University will offer lucrative targeted scholarships to encourage high-quality on-campus applicants to science-based fields.