Universities Australia

We're the peak body representing Australia's university sector – advocating for a strong, internationally competitive university system.

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Big challenges need real solutions.

Universities Australia’s Solutions Series brings together leaders from government, industry and the university sector to tackle the issues shaping Australia’s future – from productivity and skills to research, innovation and economic growth.

Join us for the next In Conversation with Professor Barney Glover AO for a practical, solutions-focused discussion on the future of tertiary reform and the Australian Tertiary Education Commission’s role in driving it.

📅 Wednesday, 8 July 2026
🕐 1-2pm AEST

Register now: https://t.co/oYQQVCnQS1

#highered #research #auspol #HigherEducation @ATECtoday @AusGovEducation

[Luke Sheehy @LukeSheehyUA]

Students are paying more to live and more to study.

It was great to join today’s crossbench roundtable on the future of the Job-ready Graduates Package. Thank you to Senator @DavidPocock, Dr @Mon4Kooyong and Allegra Spender MP @spenderallegra for bringing together an important discussion on how we build a fairer funding system for students.

Today, @uniaus also released new analysis showing students are facing a double squeeze. The cost of maintaining a basic student standard of living has risen faster than students can keep up, while many continue to face some of the highest university fees in Australia’s history.

Job-ready Graduates was introduced by one government and retained by another. Five years on, it’s a legacy of both governments - and students are still paying the price. It’s time for it to go.
Learn more - https://t.co/Xj6LJXYIc6
#auspol #highered #unifunding @JasonClareMP

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Students are under pressure from every direction — rising costs of living alongside some of the highest university fees in Australia’s history.

When access to higher education becomes harder, the consequences extend beyond the classroom. It not only affects students today but also risks deepening future skills shortages in the areas Australia urgently needs most.

Replacing Job-ready Graduates would prevent tomorrow’s students from accumulating unnecessarily large debts. This failed policy was introduced by one government and has been retained by another. It’s a legacy of both the Coalition and Labor. It’s time to give students a fairer deal.

LEARN MORE: https://t.co/Nqa7F4OH4p

#highered #research #auspol #JRG #skillsshortage @JasonClare

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

The cost of living is rising faster than students can keep up, and they're still being asked to pay some of the highest university fees in Australia's history.

Students are paying more for rent, groceries, utilities and fuel while taking on larger debts just to earn a degree.

No one should have to choose between getting an education and making ends meet.

It's time to fix the policies driving excessive student debt and make higher education more accessible for all Australians.

Read our full media release here: https://t.co/aKKCX2US6y

#highered #research #auspol #JRG @JasonClareMP

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Universities Australia’s Solutions Series: In Conversation returns with a timely discussion on the future of Australia’s tertiary education system.

Join Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) Chief Commissioner, Professor Barney Glover AO, and Universities Australia CEO, @LukeSheehyUA, for a candid conversation exploring ATEC’s role, its priorities as it begins its work, and the reforms set to shape the next phase of the Universities Accord.

As Australia embarks on a new era of tertiary education reform, this discussion will examine how ATEC will help build a more connected and responsive education system to meet the nation’s future skills, workforce and research needs.

The discussion will explore:
• ATEC’s priorities and vision
• The next phase of Universities Accord implementation
• Building a more connected tertiary education system
• Meeting Australia’s future skills and workforce needs
• The opportunities and challenges facing universities, TAFEs and students

📅 Wednesday 8 July 2026
🕛 1-2pm AEST

Register now: https://t.co/oYQQVCooHz

#highered #research #auspol #HigherEducation @ATECtoday @AusGovEducation

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Opening the doors to university for more Australians is critical to Australia’s future.

Legislation introduced today by @JasonClareMP aims to give more people, from more backgrounds and more parts of the country, the chance to go to university and succeed.

The ambition is right, but the detail matters. Changes of this scale must be carefully scrutinised to ensure they work for students, universities and the nation.

More opportunity is good for students, good for communities and good for the economy.

Read our full media release here: https://t.co/c1YsUASyoM
#highered #education #Policy

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Entries for the 2026 Shaping Australia Awards are now open! 🎉

Last year, we received outstanding submissions showcasing the incredible people, programs and research making an impact and shaping Australia’s future.

Among the inspiring initiatives recognised was the Australian Catholic University’s Step Up into Teaching (SUIT) program, the 2025 Shaping Australia Future Builder Award (People’s Choice) winner. SUIT is breaking down barriers to university for students from low socio-economic, First Nations and first-in-family backgrounds, and helping build the next generation of Australia’s teachers.

Hear more about this inspiring initiative and the difference it is making in communities across Australia from Jamie Sherson.

If your program, research or initiative is making a difference, we want to hear from you.

Submit your entry for the 2026 Shaping Australia Awards today: https://t.co/g0ruitji8t

#Universitiesmatter #highered #research #ShapingAustraliaAwards26 @ACUmedia
@JamieSherson

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Global temperatures are rising, and so is the pressure on our food systems.

Wheat, one of the world’s most essential staple crops, is highly vulnerable to heat stress, just as demand continues to grow. Yields need to increase by around 2-3 per cent every year to keep pace but climate extremes are making that increasingly difficult.

At the Adelaide University’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), researchers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help change that.

By rapidly identifying heat-tolerant wheat varieties at scale, AI is helping accelerate the development of more resilient crops for a hotter future.

Read more about the research here - https://t.co/DVIemmXEKb

#Universitiesmatter #research #AI #artificialintelligence @TheAIML

[Luke Sheehy @LukeSheehyUA]

It was a real privilege to visit @EdithCowan's new city campus yesterday with Clare Pollock.

What an incredible addition to Perth’s CBD - a place where students, researchers, industry and the arts will come together right in the heart of the city.

Campuses like this show the best of what universities do: opening doors for students, creating new opportunities for communities and helping shape the future of our cities.

Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this bold vision to life. @uniaus
#UniversitiesMatter

[ACNS Early Career Researchers @ACNS_ECR]

🏅Award opportunity!
The 2026 Shaping Australia Awards are open!
Entries close Wednesday 1 September, 2026
There are four awards to be won:
· Problem Solver Award
· Future Builder Award
· Community Champion Award
· People’s Choice Award
More information: https://t.co/vo1OLPSsNH

[Luke Sheehy @LukeSheehyUA]

Strong leadership will shape the future of Australian higher education.

At the Future Campus conference in Melbourne today, I spoke about the evolving leadership challenge facing our universities and why the task ahead is not simply to respond to change, but to help shape it.

Australia’s ambitions for productivity, skills and innovation depend on a strong university sector. Achieving them will require leadership that is forward-looking, purposeful and committed to delivering better outcomes for students, institutions and the nation.

I look forward to continuing this important conversation with colleagues across the sector.

@uniaus @SRMatchett @FutureCampusAus

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

Entries for the 2026 Shaping Australia Awards are now open! 🎉

Following the incredible success of last year’s awards, we’re excited to once again celebrate the people, programs and research making a difference and shaping Australia’s future.

These awards provide a national platform to showcase the outstanding work happening across our universities and the real impact it is making on our communities.

If you’re driving positive change through research, innovation or community engagement, we want to hear from you!

Learn more about the program and how to enter: https://t.co/G5CHuEez61

Entries close 1 September 2026 so submit your entries now.

#Universitiesmatter #ShapingAustraliaAwards26 #highered #research @AusGovEducation @JasonClareMP @arc_gov_au

[Universities Australia @uniaus]

The next decade of higher education won’t be defined by policy reform alone. It will be defined by leadership.

Speaking at the Future Campus conference in Melbourne today, Universities Australia CEO @LukeSheehyUA explored how the leadership task facing Australia's universities is changing.

From replacing Job-ready Graduates to reducing unnecessary regulation, he argued that strong leadership means not simply responding to change, but helping shape it – including having the courage to call out policies that aren't working and advocate for better outcomes for students, universities and the nation.

Because Australia's productivity, skills and innovation ambitions depend on it.

Read the full keynote address here: https://t.co/NUSOpb398d

#Universitiesmatter #highered #research #auspol @FutureCampusAus @SRMatchett