Daily Brief — Australian Education

The 2025 PISA results, released 8 September, show Australia above the OECD average in all three domains — reading (11th globally), maths (17th), and science (11th) — with Australia moving up one place in reading and maintaining its maths ranking, though falling one place in science while holding science scores; the UK's trajectory — up three places in reading, four in maths, and seven in science — underpins Clare's argument that Australia's phonics reform is "the starting gun" for comparable long-term gains. Clare, in a 9 September opinion piece, cited two Sydney schools where the share of year 1 students on track with reading jumped from 33% to 70% (Shelley Public School) and 26% to 84% (Briar Road Public School) following this year's national phonics screening check rollout; maths curriculum reform and a school "digital detox" are identified as the next reform priorities. Clare: "The reading wars are over, we know what works. Phonics works." (Ministers, 8 September; Clare opinion piece, 9 September)

Standing figures: 2026 NPL 295,000 (+25,000 on 2025); visa refusal rates 69% Nepal, 42% India (early 2026); domestic commencements 413,133 (+4.3% YoY); $50m over-enrolment fund; $50m Structural Adjustment Fund.

12 October 2026 — 2026 National Student Safety Survey closes (opened 31 August across all 38 Universities Australia member universities; results expected 2027).

17–18 November 2026 — TEQSA 2026 Conference, fully virtual.

19 May 2027 — ASQA 12-month VET/ELICOS registration pause expires.