+ Fair Funding Higher Ed Working Party Campaign

+ What’s wrong with the funding of legal education? Law students pay the highest rates our degree, yet receive the least funding from the government. This is premised on two false assumptions: 1. Passive Knowledge: Law is cheap to teach 2. High Income: Law students will become rich This has serious repercussions for law students (mental health, career choices) but society as a whole (poor quality education, massive expansion in law schools).

+ 1. Legal Education is underfunded

+ Effect of underfunding The government assumes that a legal education can be taught by chalk and talk in large classes; CALD has called for a focus on skills training rather than on mere knowledge of the rules, utilising small group exercises, clinical experience, and more intensive feedback and assessment, thus requiring a much better student-staff ratio. This cannot be achieved under the current funding model, and this has serious repercussions: For law students: disengagement, isolation, depression For society: poor lawyers with limited knowledge & practical skills

+ 2. Law students accrue excessive debt yet receive modest incomes Look at the difference between the salary and debt column in each occupation.

+ The effect of underfunding As CALD has said, a low govt contribution + extortionate student contribution sends a message that becoming a lawyer is all about having a successful and materially rewarding personal career, and not at all about making a contribution to the public good. This has flow on effects for law students CHOICE OF CAREER – race for top tier clerkships MENTAL HEALTH – financial burdens on graduation This also has repercussions for society Less desire to work for legal aid, community legal centres, NGOs, the public service or in regional or remote areas

+ Why get involved? This has a huge effect on all of us, and is an issue that can only be tackled nationally It has serious flow-on effects for society – such as poor lawyers, and understaffed CLCs Get younger committee members and students from your law school involved and learning- this can be a grassroots campaign Students from all political backgrounds will be able to engage with this

+ Get involved! Sign up to the higher ed working party and dial in to the teleconferences (dates on next slide) – this campaign forms part of the working party Join the facebook group and join Higher Education Working Party (HEWP) mailing Send out info sheets on this issue to members