Since 1990, the Australian higher education system has experienced ongoing reform resulting in the number of universities and student populations more than doubling. Despite this expansion, inequalities in access to higher education related to family background and location persist. Due to the concentration of higher education campuses in the…

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of a group of young rural men's and women's understandings of 'the city' and 'the country', and the relationship between this and their educational decision making. The analysis adds to a growing body of literature on young rural people's experiences and the emerging research on education in a rural…

In this paper we report the results of a survey of financial literacy levels among Australian secondary school students. While key issues concerning financial literacy among adolescents are fairly well known, and governments see the urgency of addressing low levels of such literacy among a vulnerable cohort, less is understood about the variation…

This paper explores some of the political and methodological challenges involved in researching rural education. It begins by outlining the situation in Australia regarding the relationship between social justice and rural education. It first describes the disadvantages experienced by many rural communities and presents an analysis of rural…

Reports on a project that investigated, by means of interviews, the information needs, information-gathering strategies, and information use of 10 urban and 9 rural community groups in Australia. Highlights include accuracy and reliability as criteria by all groups, rural groups' perceptions of being disadvantaged, and the importance of public…

Suggests that the rural development policy for Australia proposed by Jonathan and Katrina Sher in a previous issue of this journal fails to differentiate between "rural" and "regional," resulting in policies aimed at regional areas and the marginalization of rural communities. Offers a distinction between rural, urban, and…

How do practising teachers and educators enrolled in a Master of Education program view the urban-rural divide in Australia and elsewhere? Using postings to a discussion board, this article looks at teachers' awareness of social justice and equity issues as they affect educational provision in the rustbelt areas of the cities, and amongst…