Big challenges need real solutions
Big challenges need real solutions
Universities Australia’s Solutions Series brings together leaders from government, industry and the university sector to focus on the issues shaping Australia’s future — from productivity and skills to research, innovation and economic growth.
Each session cuts through the noise to focus on what needs to happen next, with practical, solutions-driven discussion designed to inform policy and drive action.
Universities Australia’s Solutions Series brings together leaders from government, industry and the university sector to focus on the issues shaping Australia’s future — from productivity and skills to research, innovation and economic growth.
Each session cuts through the noise to focus on what needs to happen next, with practical, solutions-driven discussion designed to inform policy and drive action.
Tackling Islamophobia and strengthening social cohesion.
Who should shape the future of Australia’s universities?
The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 is now before Parliament — and with it comes a bigger debate about the future of Australia’s higher education system.
How much national coordination does the system need? Where should government’s role end and university autonomy begin? And what does the Opposition want the next phase of higher education reform to look like?
Join Universities Australia’s Solutions Series: In Conversation for an open and candid discussion between Shadow Minister for Education Julian Leeser MP and Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy.
With Parliament considering significant changes to the way universities are funded and governed, this conversation will go beyond the politics of the Bill to explore the principles that should underpin Australia’s higher education system for the decades ahead.
Expect a frank, forward-looking discussion on:
- The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 and what it means for universities
- Striking the right balance between national stewardship and university autonomy
- Ministerial powers, accountability and institutional independence
- The Opposition’s priorities for higher education reform
- Funding, participation and the future sustainability of the sector
- The role universities should play in Australia’s skills, research and productivity agenda.
No speeches. No presentations. Just an open conversation about some of the biggest questions facing Australian higher education — and what should happen next.
Join us for the next Solutions Series: In Conversation.
How do we build safer, more inclusive university communities while protecting the openness, debate and academic freedom at the heart of higher education?
Join Universities Australia’s Solutions Series: In Conversation for an open and timely discussion between Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, and Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy.
As universities prepare to implement new requirements to prevent and respond to racism, the conversation will explore the experiences of Muslim Australians, the role of definitions in tackling racism and Islamophobia, and what the changes to the Higher Education Threshold Standards mean in practice.
Together, they’ll discuss the role universities can play in tackling racism, strengthening social cohesion and creating communities where students and staff feel safe, respected and able to engage openly with different ideas.
Join us for the next Solutions Series: In Conversation.
No speeches. No presentations. Just an open, solutions-focused conversation about what needs to happen next.