Labor’s university bias will worsen skills shortages

Thursday 17 April 2025

The Albanese government’s Australian Universities Accord Final Report set a target of 55% of young Australians having a university degree by 2050.

The report states that to meet its 55% university attainment target, “the system will need to more than double the number of Commonwealth-supported students in universities from 860,000 currently to 1.8 million by 2050”.

MacroBusiness has always argued that too many young Australians are studying at university instead of TAFE and vocational education.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.