Population ageing and the A-B-C of educational demand: a focus on Tasmania and South Australia

The ageing of the population will accompanied by significant declines in the population of school, tertiary, and working age. This will mean substantial competition between tertiary education and labour markets for young participants. This situation will vary in different regions, and though it will create strains, not all of the effects will be negative. Indeed, young people — and perhaps lecturers in tertiary institutions — should be able to look forward to a more agreeable future, especially in the demographically older regions. This paper outlines the situation for Australia, with a focus on Australia’s two demographically oldest States: Tasmania and South Australia. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s