1998 - Schools in Australia: 1973-1998 The 25 years since the Karmel Report

The 1998 ACER Research Conference, titled: Universities: Enduring Institutions?, was held from 28 - 29 May 1998, at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Sunshine Coast, Australia. This was a conference organised by the Australian Council for Educational Research to honour Professor Peter Karmen in his concluding year as Chair of its Council and Board of Directors.

What will be the purpose and identity of Australian universities in the next century? This conference addressed the key issues requiring urgent resolution if universities are to continue into the next century. While there has been a great deal of discussion about the West and related reviews of universities (eg. New Zealand and United Kingdom), the direct focus of this conference is on the immediate situation. The Commonwealth Government became involved with school education in Australia in a new and major way with the establishment of the Australian Schools Commission in 1973. Professor Karmel was Chair of the Interim Committee for the Australian Schools Commission which presented its influential report, Schools in Australia, in 1973. This conference will examine developments in schooling in Australia since then.