The future of Australian higher education and the Australian Universities Accord
Time: 2:00 to 3:15 pm, Friday, June 27
Format: Hybrid
Venue: RMS 206
Speaker: Dr. Peter Bentley (Innovative Research Universities Australia)
Chair: Prof. Jisun Jung (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eloVo7D7PP51CMC
Abstract:
Australia’s higher education system is potentially entering a new era where responsiveness through marketisation and competition is taking a back seat to government steering through strategic priorities. The May 2025 landslide re-election of the (centre-left) Labor Government provides opportunity for Labor to deliver on its 2024 Australian Universities Accord, a multi-decadal reform plan for tertiary education. This seminar will provide an overview of the Australian higher education system and the Accord’s vision, including the shift away from market-based principles.
Over the past two decades Australian higher education has expanded dramatically through market-based competition. ‘Demand driven’ funding for domestic students (operating from 2012 to 2017, and partially since) increased competition for domestic students, while maintaining affordability with price controls and accountability through a national regulator (TEQSA) and metrics-based reporting. Research funding also became more competitive, with more public funding disbursed through excellence-based competitive grants and formulaic funding attached to industry income. International education remained heavily marketized, with few limits on what could be charged or the number enrolled. International student fees rose from 10% of the sector’s operating revenue in 2000 to around 25% in 2023. But its growth has been uneven across the sector and proven unstable for universities and their staff. It has also become politically unsustainable due to concerns over housing and immigration.
With 47 recommendations across 400+ pages, the Accord is ambitious. But so far, its recommendations have been mostly unfunded or ignored by the Australian Government. Implementation will depend heavily on advice from a proposed “independent” steward, the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC). ATEC will commence from 1 July 2025 and have a very wide initial remit covering “policy development for higher education and research, future planning, making mission-based compacts, pricing, funding allocation, accountability, data collection and transparency, quality and performance.” ATEC will need to quickly develop capacity to offer advice and direction superior to market-based principles. It will also need to carefully maintain its independence, balancing the interests of the university sector with the politics.
About the speaker:
Peter Bentley is a Policy Advisor at the Innovative Research Universities Australia, a coalition of seven comprehensive public universities committed to inclusive education and innovative research that advances Australian communities. Peter has experience in higher education research and policy in Australia and Europe, with a PhD from the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies at the University of Twente. Since 2017 he has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management.