Delivered by Mr Luke Sheehy, Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer

***Check against delivery***

Good afternoon and thank you for that warm welcome and introduction.

And thank you to the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success for the kind invitation to speak.

I provided the closing address here last year, albeit virtually, so it’s great to be here in person today.

I’d like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we’re gathered, the Gadigal people, and pay my respects to elders past and present.

Universities Australia also recognises the central role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must play in shaping our shared future, particularly through education.

It should come as no surprise to you that my closing remarks today will focus on the very themes you’ve been exploring over the past two days – equity and access in higher education.

I want to talk about why this matters, what progress we’ve made and where we must go next.

Because this is not just a conversation about universities.

It’s a conversation about the kind of Australia we want to build – one that is fair, inclusive and ready to meet the challenges of the future.

At its core, equity in higher education is about opportunity.

It’s about ensuring that the doors of our universities are open to all Australians – no matter where they were born, the postcode they live in, their cultural background or the obstacles they have faced in life.

Access to higher education transforms lives.

It changes the trajectory of individuals and families.

And it strengthens our nation.

When more people reach their potential, we all benefit from their talent, skills and creativity.

But we know that not everyone has an equal chance to walk through the doors to university.

Students from poorer backgrounds.

Indigenous students.

Students with disability.

Those from regional and remote areas.

And those from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

All of them remain underrepresented at university.

This barrier is holding them back from the transformational experience of higher education.

Not only that, but it’s also holding our nation back.

A little over 18 months ago, Minister Clare released the Australian Universities Accord final report.

It found that by the middle of this century, 80 per cent of Australians will need a tertiary qualification to thrive in the economy of the future.

The government has accepted this reality, setting the 80 per cent attainment marker as a national target in last year’s federal budget.

It’s a bold ambition – and rightly so.

Because the demands on our workforce are shifting.

The push towards a net zero economy is happening at pace.

New technologies, like artificial intelligence, are reshaping us.

And geopolitical shifts are changing our way of life.

These changes are having a profound impact on our economy.

And they’re bringing into focus the skills we need to sustain and grow it.

Technology.

Health care.

Advanced manufacturing.

Science.

Engineering.

All these sectors require more skilled people than ever before.

But here’s the truth.

We cannot reach the government’s attainment target unless we expand access.

We cannot meet the skills needs of the future if we continue to draw disproportionately from the same groups of people who have always gone to university.

We need to bring in those who have been left out.

And not just because it is fair and just, but because it is essential for our future prosperity.

If we are serious about the Accord’s ambition, then equity is not a side project.

It’s the main game.

And it’s a big undertaking.

Eighty per cent of the workforce finishing TAFE or university by 2050.

To achieve this, our universities will need to educate a million more domestic students each year.

That’s 1.8 million students a year – more than double the number currently studying at university.

This is not an exercise in self-interest.

It’s what the government is asking of us.

Because it’s what our country’s future depends on.

As such, we must view this task as a critical national imperative, not simply an educational priority.

There is too much at stake not to.

Let’s consider what we’re already up against.

And why we need to take this challenge seriously.

Right now, we are facing acute skills shortages in critical areas across the economy.

Teaching.

Nursing.

Engineering.

Information technology.

And early childhood education.

These are not future challenges – they are immediate ones.

Universities are already working hard to train the next generation of skilled professionals.

But we are behind the eight ball.

Demand for these skills will only grow in the coming years.

But the growth we need in higher education can only happen with a substantial increase in underrepresented cohorts.

This is why we must broaden participation.

We cannot afford to leave talent untapped.

We cannot afford to let geography, financial hardship or structural barriers hold back a person’s progress or stop them from contributing to our nation’s future.

We’re fortunate to have a government in Canberra that is receptive to this.

Minister Clare, I think, genuinely wants to make university more accessible.

And he’s taking action.

Paid prac.

Fee-free uni ready courses.

Regional and suburban university study hubs.

Tackling student debt and making HELP repayments fairer.

Uncapped places for Indigenous students, regardless of where they live.

Needs-based funding.

These are steps in the right direction.

Our universities are also doing their bit to break down barriers.

The Equal Access Scholarship program here at UTS helps students from poorer backgrounds.

The University of New South Wales’ Gateway Program is similar.

Institutions like ANU and Western Sydney have programs to support refugee students to thrive.

Many others have disability programs in place, like the University of Queensland’s Disability Collective.

These are just a handful of examples.

Across the nation, universities are investing in outreach, scholarships, mentoring, and flexible learning.

They are working day in, day out to open the door to university for students of all backgrounds.

But we cannot be complacent.

The scale of the challenge demands more.

We must continue to partner with schools to raise aspirations early.

We must ensure financial support systems – like HECS-HELP and income support – are robust enough to keep students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their studies.

It’s not enough to get them through the front gate – we must help them to graduation.

We must build stronger regional education infrastructure so that where you live doesn’t dictate your educational future.

We must continue to reform admissions and pathways, making sure talent and potential are recognised alongside traditional academic results.

And we must commit to meaningful Indigenous participation and leadership in higher education, guided by the principles of self-determination.

Universities cannot achieve this alone.

Governments, schools, industry and communities all have a role to play.

If I have one ask of government, though, it’s to immediately reform the Job-ready Graduates Package.

This is not a new ask.

I, along with my colleagues, sector experts, parliamentarians and parents, have long called for it to go.

It’s hurting universities.

And it’s hurting students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds.

From the introduction of the JRG until 2023, domestic undergraduate enrolments declined six per cent for medium and high SES students but 12 per cent for low SES students.

In the same period, low SES students studying law and business declined 22 per cent.

Indigenous students have also been particularly hard hit by the increased fees.

JRG is the antithesis of participation.

As a first step, the government should eliminate the highest level of student contribution and replace it with the second highest tier.

This would go a small way to correcting the perverse incentives JRG has baked into the system.

And it would open the door further to university for those Australians we desperately need to reach.

Colleagues, let me conclude.

We have a responsibility to ensure that every Australian can attend university, not just those who are lucky enough to be born in the right place or in the right family.

Equity and access in higher education isn’t just about fairness.

It’s about building the Australia we want for the future.

An Australia where every person with ability and ambition can rise as far as their talent takes them.

An Australia with the skilled workforce we need to remain prosperous, innovative and competitive.

An Australia that is stronger, fairer and more cohesive because it draws on the talents of all its people.

That’s why this work matters so deeply.

And that’s why Universities Australia, and all our members, are committed to this cause.

So, let’s keep opening those doors.

Let’s keep breaking down those barriers.

And let’s make sure that when we talk about Australia’s future, we mean a future for all Australians.

Thank you.

ENDS