Note by Coordinating Editor
1988 marks the bicentenary of white settlement in Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia now offers higher education of varied kinds; readers of this journal will know that Australian scholars of higher education have contributed much to research on higher education. To mark the occasion this issue contains a number of articles written by Australians. Thanks are due to Dr P.R. Chippendale of the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, Queensland, Australia for assistance with this issue.
As elsewhere in the world, higher education in Australia is on the move again. The Australian Minister for Employment, Education and Training, Mr John Dawkins, has proposed creating a new National Board of Employment, Education and Training. This Board, statutorily established, would report directly to the Minister and have four advisory councils: Higher Education Council Australian Research Council Schools Council Employment and Skills Formation Council
The Board and its councils is intended to take over the work of the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission and the Australian Research Grants Committee. Immediate reaction from the academic world has not been favourable but we hope in due course to publish considered evaluations of this new plan.