Latest rundown of higher education

From our Chief Executive Officer

I’ve just come from a beautiful commemoration service for Professor Emma Johnston AO at the
University of Melbourne
. Many of us who knew Emma, as a colleague and a friend, are still coming to terms with her tragic passing in late December. She was an exceptional leader, a brilliant researcher and a beautiful human, and I am enormously grateful for the privilege of knowing and working with her. I know many of you feel the same.

Over the coming weeks, campuses across the country will come alive as orientation weeks begin and hundreds of thousands of students start, or return to, university. O-Week is always an energising moment: a time of first lectures and new friendships, of curiosity and ambition and of students taking a decisive step in a life-changing journey.

For those just beginning, it marks the transition into adulthood and independence. For returning students, it is a reminder of how far they have come, and of the possibilities still ahead.

I think we all appreciate that a university degree is about far more than gaining a qualification. It’s about learning how to think critically, solve complex problems and contribute meaningfully to society. At a time when Australia faces profound challenges – from technological disruption and workforce transformation to climate change, health security and global uncertainty – our universities are preparing the people who will help navigate what comes next.

As students gather on campus in the weeks ahead, they are not just starting a new semester – they are becoming part of the national effort to build a stronger, more capable and more confident Australia, one ready to embrace the opportunities and overcome the challenges in front of us.

It’s against this backdrop that the Parliament was this week debating legislation to establish the
Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC)
. For the students arriving on campus now – and for those who will follow in the years ahead – this reform matters deeply. A strong, independent ATEC has the potential to bring long-term stability, coherence and evidence-based decision-making to a system that has too often been shaped by short-term pressures and policy churn.

The bill is, of course, currently before a Senate inquiry. This process, and the subsequent debate on the legislation in the upper house when we get to that point, is important. There is wide consensus that the bill, as drafted, can be improved and it is our hope that through the Senate process, we can sensibly amend the legislation to ensure a legislated ATEC best serves the needs of the sector and the country. We are working closely with government and across the entire Parliament on this, and I look forward to appearing before the Senate committee next Friday.

These same questions about opportunity, system design and Australia’s long-term needs will be front and centre at UA’s 2026 Solutions Summit, now just two weeks away. The Solutions Summit comes at a pivotal moment for our sector, bringing together leaders from government, industry, education and the community to focus on practical, solutions-driven reform.

As students begin their university journeys and Parliament considers reforms that will shape the system for decades to come, the Solutions Summit provides a timely forum to look beyond the immediate horizon. It will be an opportunity to test ideas, share evidence and build consensus around how universities can best support students, drive national capability and help Australia grow and prosper in a changing economic, social and strategic landscape.

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in Canberra in a fortnight’s time for the Summit, our Plenary and so much more in what will be a big week for our sector. On a final note, the UA Board met yesterday to discuss strategy and planning for the year ahead, and we look forward to updating you on that ahead of, and at, Plenary at the end of the month.

I’ll leave it there for today. I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Register today for UA’s 2026 Solutions Summit, now only two weeks away!

This is the premier national forum for collaboration across higher education, bringing together more than 1,000 leaders from universities, government, business and the community to shape the policy and partnerships that will guide the year ahead.

Led by and for the sector, the Solutions Summit is the flagship event in Australian higher education. Vice-chancellors, chancellors, senior parliamentarians, business leaders, researchers, international education specialists and media come together to exchange ideas, build connections and tackle the opportunities and challenges facing our nation. We’ll also be hearing from our 2026 Australian of the Year,

Katherine Bennell-Pegg

.

UA’s media engagement since 1 January 2026 has generated 136 mentions and reached a potential audience of more than four million across online, print, radio and television news.

View all submissions here