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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Dear ASA members, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">An empowered group of Swinburne PhD students have started a parliamentary petition to increase the PhD stipend rate. The issue affects students Australia wide and in all disciplines. The petition has already attracted
over 5000 signatures. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">We kindly request that you consider signing the petition, via the link below, and/or share with your department/University.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN5085" title="https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN5085">https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN5085</a></span><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Petition Reason <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">PhD students contribute enormously to Australia’s research every year, with their time accounting for 56% the total research output. They are the future professors and industry professionals of
this country, responsible for driving innovation and ensuring strong international collaborations and competition. Their contribution is often rewarded with a stipend intended to cover the cost of living, with a minimum rate set by the Australian government.
Currently, this scholarship rate is $29,863 per year for PhD students to live on while usually working more than 40 hrs per week on their research. Not only is this below minimum wage, but it is even forcing students to live below the poverty line. With this
treatment, students are incentivised to accept positions abroad, reject higher degrees by research, or quit midway through their degree due to financial distress. Australia is actively discouraging higher education and slowing its economic growth and productivity
by underpaying PhD students. We believe the government should support higher education and ensure a competitive standing for Australia. The way to do this is by setting a fair, liveable rate for PhD scholarships, which is at least equivalent to the minimum
wage.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Petition Request</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">We therefore ask the House to raise the allowed minimum rate for a PhD Scholarship to $39,000 per year, thereby matching the minimum wage.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">A link to a printable poster is provide here:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/ZXGrCYW8NocDNXV6Ru0n_iR?domain=drive.google.com">https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VDfrO-MLKEvovoMIrv1zuxIDeuKNmmc0</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Emma<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#212121"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">Prof Emma Ryan-Weber </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">(she/her)<b><br>
</b>Director, ARC Centre of Excellence, ASTRO 3D</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm;background:white">Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm"><br>
Swinburne University of Technology</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">T:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="tel:+61392144746"><span style="color:#0078D7">+61
3 9214 4746</span></a> | E: <a href="mailto:eryanweber@swin.edu.au" title="mailto:eryanweber@swin.edu.au">eryanweber@swin.edu.au</a> | Mail: H29, PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm"> </span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">Work Days: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri </span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;vertical-align:baseline"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm;background:white">My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to
this email outside of your normal working hours.</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:inherit;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm"><br>
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:inherit;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm"><br>
</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm">I respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People, and their Elders past and present, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Swinburne’s
Australian campuses are located.</span></i><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#212121"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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