News
| 02 May 2022

Australia’s plummeting maths rate a ticking time bomb for our economy – national media coverage for EA in the thick of the election campaign

As part of our strategic priorities to demonstrate impactful leadership and a strong voice for the profession, Chief Engineer Jane MacMaster was interviewed for two feature articles in The Australian, and on Melbourne’s 3AW radio drive show in response to the latest Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) report which shows maths enrolments at an all-time low.

Engineers Australia is calling for an overhaul of the current teaching system, particularly in STEM education where the numbers and performance (in both relative and absolute terms) of Australian students has been declining for many years.

“The system is broken, and unless we take immediate action to fix it the consequences will be disastrous,” said MacMaster.

“As Australia transitions from a resources-based economy to one where technology is pervasive, the skills required to create and find work will be significantly STEM based - engineering a case in point.

“We are already experiencing a significant skills shortage that is threatening, not only our COVID recovery, but our future prosperity.

“If we don’t act now, Australia will be left-behind.”

Our tier one election media coverage with calls to action on our priority policy topics has been extensive and includes an ABC Radio National interview calling for urgent actions needed by both sides of Government to address skills shortages.