Where much of the money is coming from:  Students. When in-place the government’s share of Commonwealth Supported Places will be down 8 per cent to 52 per cent.

Take your (and another uni’s) places: The package provides for unis to allocate CSPs to whatever discipline they like and to trade them with other universities, (ex medicine and enabling courses). It looks like an extension of a swap scheme for coursework masters announced in November (CMM November 4 2019). But no, it’s not a market – trades must be cost neutral).

What’s happening to HEPPP:  The Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme is funded until 2023, until then it will operate under the new Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund.

Next skills and quals: Last year’s review of the Australian Qualifications Framework will be, um reviewed, (although the feds avoid calling it that), to determine if the “value proposition outlined in the AQF Review can be delivered.” There will also be, “technical work required for implementation and discussion with states and territories.”

The new work also includes, “smoothing pathways” and “developing guidelines to support the recognition of micro-credentials.”

And it looks like the “undergraduate certificate,” created for the Federal Government’s COVID-19 short courses is staying. “Its inclusion in the AQF is consistent with the review’s recommendation to update the AQF to ensure recognition of short form credentials in other AQF qualifications.”