Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

Good afternoon.

My name is Luke Sheehy, and I am the Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia.

Thank you to the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success for the kind invitation to provide this message today – I’m sorry I can’t be there in person.

Can I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which you have gathered, the Darug people, and pay my respects to elders past and present and also acknowledge the Ngunnawal people whose land I am on today and pay my respects to their elders past and present.

Like many of you at Western Sydney University today, I am passionate about equity in education and the power of education to transform lives.

Universities are at the centre of that.

My own personal story goes to this.

I am the first member of my family to graduate from university and it’s not something I have ever taken for granted.

I don’t think I would be in the position I am today if I hadn’t had that opportunity to experience the power of education.

It is undeniably powerful – I feel that in my own experiences and life.

It’s what drives me today in my role as CEO of Universities Australia, and in my previous roles in the sector, to open the door to university for as many people as possible.

Our university system is very good in a lot of ways.

We punch above our weight in research.

We are a leading destination for international students.

We educate close to a million domestic students each year who join Australia’s skilled workforce and drive our prosperity.

And we are a trusted partner of the Government and our communities in supporting national and local priorities.

But we can always do better for the students we teach and the communities we represent – for and on behalf of our country.

Professor Mary O’Kane has made it clear we don’t really have a choice.

In her final report to the Government, she wrote that the university system needs to constantly grow and improve to meet Australia’s needs in the future.

Educating more students is at the heart of her findings.

The Accord final report tells us universities need to double the number of domestic students they educate each year to meet the nation’s skills needs.

From around 900,000 now to 1.8 million in 2050.

This is a significant undertaking – one that we must start now.

As we approach this task, equity must be at the centre of our thinking.

It is certainly front of mind for Professor O’Kane.

The Accord final report mentions “equity” more than 200 times.

And for good reason.

The only way to increase the number of people studying at university is to significantly increase the number of students who are currently underrepresented in our system.

Students from the outer suburbs and regions.

Students from poor backgrounds.

Students with a disability.

Indigenous students.

When you look at the numbers, you realise how much work we have in front of us.

To meet the Accord’s attainment targets:

• 60 per cent of new students entering the system will need to come from low-SES backgrounds.
• More than half will need to come from regional and remote areas.
• And more than 10 per cent will need to be First Nations students.

If we don’t meet these targets, we won’t have the skills and the economic firepower we need to make this country everything it can be in the years ahead.

Minister Clare needs no convincing of how important this task is.

He has stated, repeatedly, that he doesn’t want us to be a country where your chances in life depend on your postcode, your parents or the colour of your skin.

I think we are all with the Minister in believing that university education should be open to the many, not the few.

The Government’s decision to uncap university places for all Indigenous students, regardless of their postcode, is a welcome step.

So is the removal of the punitive 50 per cent pass rule under the Job-ready Graduates package which disproportionately affected students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Equity is not simply about building aspiration for prospective university students to access higher education.

It’s about getting on, as much as getting in.

We need to recognise that people from groups underrepresented in higher education require greater support to succeed.

The attainment rate for Indigenous people in major urban areas, for example, is only 14 per cent, compared to almost 50 per cent for the non-Indigenous population.

So, how do we support these students to succeed, to have a memorable experience at university and to go on and make a significant contribution to society?

The Accord final report is full of ideas – many of which Universities Australia and others have advocated for.

Changes to HELP repayments and funding for paid placements are worthy steps to remove financial barriers to study and they are big wins for students in the current cost-of-living crisis.

Fee-free preparatory places could also help shift the dial.

These courses are proven to help students from underrepresented backgrounds qualify for university entry.

Better aligning higher education and VET will help students navigate these systems and make qualification attainment faster and easier.

And a needs-based funding model that acknowledges the cost of additional support for underrepresented students and the locality of the institution they attend would ensure universities can support these students on their learning journey.

The benefits of higher education to these students, their families, their communities and the nation are worth every cent.

Announcements in last week’s Federal Budget to boost equity show Minister Clare is so far putting his money where his mouth is.

We have some promising initial reforms to work from and if we can bake equity into the centre of our thinking, then we will have risen to the challenge.

That is what students and the nation need and deserve.

Thank you.