2021-22 Pre-Budget Submission
On 29 February 2021 the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a Pre-Budget submission calling for measures to:
- Establish an independent income support commission to set the rate for JobSeeker and other income support payments, before the Coronavirus Supplement is phased out.
- Extend essential financial support to Australian universities to ensure they can maintain world-class teaching, learning and research capacity until the international student market recovers, or there is time for other substantial adjustments to be made.
- Secure Australia’s future research capabilities with initiatives that support and retain early to mid-career researchers, while the pandemic response severely reduces university income.
- Partner with Australia’s Learned Academies to strengthen the Rapid Research Information Forum and ensure the sustainability of this model of independent expert advice to government into the future.
- Introduce revenue-contingent loans to help small businesses and households affected by COVID-19 and to incentivise start-ups and SMEs to collaborate with university researchers.
- Provide $250,000 over two years to support expansion and a national schools program for Social Sciences Week.
