Reclaiming Australian Universities as Public Institutions

Australian universities stand at a crossroads. As publicly founded institutions, their primary duty is to serve our communities – a mission that has never been more important amid today’s social and economic upheavals​.

Australians rightly cherish public hospitals and schools as pillars of the social contract—guarantees that everyone can access health care and basic education. We need to embrace our universities in the same way: as essential public institutions that exist to serve society as a whole. Like hospitals and schools, universities must prioritise accessibility, equity, and the long-term national interest over narrow commercial concerns. It’s time to reinforce that our universities, first and foremost, operate in the public interest, delivering benefits for all Australians.

I have spent my career working at the intersection of universities, industry, and government, driving initiatives that reflect every idea outlined in this editorial. From co-developing research commercialisation ecosystems and expanding online education across Latin America, India and Australia, to forging university-industry partnerships in climate solutions and biotech, I have seen first-hand how universities can thrive when they operate as public institutions first. Similarly, the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, a $50 million multidisciplinary consortium, is revolutionising how we approach healthcare for people with heart failure. Whether it was leading the development of shared research platforms, supporting joint ventures between hospitals and universities, or working with Pacific Island nations on climate resilience, the core lesson remains the same: when universities collaborate, embed themselves in their communities, and focus on long-term public benefit, their impact is transformative.

None of these ideas are theoretical—they are already happening in across Australian universities. The challenge now is not about defining the future but ensuring we accelerate the right kind of change. The following sections lay out the strategic priorities that must continue shaping the sector, ensuring that growth, innovation, and global engagement remain anchored in the fundamental role of universities as public institutions serving the nation.

An Essential Public Role in Society

Universities perform an essential function in modern society. They educate the next generation of professions, leaders, and informed citizens, and they drive research and innovation that improve our quality of life. In fact, universities provide public goods—advancing understanding, training skilled graduates, and producing research that ensures progress for the greater good​. Just as public schools ensure every child has a foundation of knowledge, and public hospitals care for all who need treatment, universities ensure the population can obtain advanced knowledge and opportunity. This public role means universities must be accessible and equitable. When a talented student from a rural town or a low-income family can earn a degree, it’s not just that individual who benefits—the entire nation gains from their future contributions. Crucially, the work of universities has broad social impacts. The teachers in our schools, the doctors and nurses in our hospitals, the engineers building infrastructure, and the scientists tackling health and environmental challenges all received their education at universities. These expertise and skills are fundamental to our community, they are all non-negotiable. By producing qualified professionals and new research, universities underpin the very services and industries that keep Australia thriving. This long-term national benefit is why public investment in universities is so important. When universities are strong and inclusive, Australia’s economy grows, our communities get vital services, and our democracy is enriched by an educated, informed public.

Yet in recent decades, market pressures and global competition have at times pulled universities toward a more commercial orientation. It is time to realign every strategic decision with the foundational purpose of public good. The future growth of our universities must be guided not by rankings or revenue alone, but by the broader national and global interest they exist to advance. This high-level vision transcends individual campus strategies: whether a large Group of Eight university or a smaller regional campus, each must interpret and pursue transformation through the lens of public value. Across the sector, a shared narrative is emerging – one of universities reasserting themselves as public institutions first, adapting and expanding always in service of the public good.

Global Education as a Public Good, Not Just a Business

One of the clearest examples of this principle is international education. For Australia, attracting students from around the world has become a massive enterprise – the nation’s largest service export​, but the true value of international education cannot be measured by economic metrics alone. It is a powerful way to expand Australia’s role in global knowledge networks and deepen international diplomacy through people-to-people connections. Every overseas student or research collaborator is a bridge between Australia and the world, fostering cultural understanding and long-term partnerships. Our international student are our future global alumni ambassadors and contributors to our collective intellectual capital. This means investing in their experience and success, integrating them fully into campus life and research, and building enduring alumni networks that span continents. It also means extending our reach abroad in thoughtful ways, engaging in genuine transnational education partnerships. When done right, international education becomes a bridge to enhance our global community, strengthening mutual benefits and knowledge exchange across borders​.

Australian universities can amplify their public impact by exporting not just degrees, but values and expertise, via joint programs, overseas research projects, and alumni diplomacy. In an era of geopolitical uncertainty, the global goodwill and soft power cultivated through education are invaluable. International students and collaborations thus serve the public good by enriching our campuses, boosting Australia’s global standing, and seeding the world with graduates who understand and respect Australia – a far-sighted investment well beyond the balance sheet.

Educating for a Lifetime, Not Just a Degree

Just as universities must broaden their global vision, they must also broaden their vision of education. The traditional model of a one-time degree in young adulthood is giving way to the reality that learning is a lifelong endeavour. Rapid technological and economic shifts – from the rise of AI to the transition to green industries – mean that workers will need to reskill and upskill continuously throughout their careers. Universities, as custodians of knowledge, should be at the forefront of enabling this lifelong learning revolution.

This calls for a paradigm shift: instead of viewing education as a product (a diploma) conferred once, universities could consider create membership Academies -based academies of lifelong learning for their graduates, where citizens engage with them throughout their lives (I’ll write a detailed article on this soon). This is not new to society, this no different to accounting, medical and law professional bodies. In practice, this means offering flexible, stackable courses and credentials – short courses, micro-credentials, professional certificates – that learners can assemble as needed. Australian policy is beginning to recognise this direction; the recent Universities Accord recommending a national skills passport to track individuals’ learning and an expansion of stackable qualifications and microcredentials​. By embracing such ideas, universities can transform alumni into ongoing members who return periodically for new knowledge and skills. Imagine graduates of the class of 2025 coming back in 2035 for a coding certificate in quantum computing, or in 2040 for a refresher in public health policy.

Crucially, a pivot to lifelong learning serves the public good on multiple fronts. It helps workers stay relevant and contributes to national productivity rather than falling behind disruptions. By moving toward an “open university” ethos, our institutions can become hubs where learning is not one chapter of life but a constant resource available to their graduates. Some universities have already started down this path, trailing short courses for alumni or digital badges for specific skills, but a sector-wide commitment to lifelong learning – effectively an “Academy of Lifelong Learning” model – would mark a bold evolution in keeping with universities’ public lens to educate society at large, not just one age cohort. It requires cultural change within academia, but the reward is an Australian populace better equipped to adapt and thrive, and a deeper, ongoing relationship between universities and the communities they serve.

Research with Real-World Impact

Research is central to the mission of any university, and Australia’s universities have built a strong record of discovery. Yet to truly serve the public, academic research must be more intentionally aligned with the needs of industry, government, and society. Too often, research agendas have been driven by publish-or-perish incentives or narrow metrics, while Australia’s pressing challenges – from improving healthcare delivery to boosting manufacturing innovation – go unanswered. It is time to rethink research priorities with impact in mind. This doesn’t mean abandoning basic research or intellectual inquiry, but rather orienting a greater share of effort toward solving real problems and translating knowledge into practice. Encouragingly, there is growing consensus on the need for this realignment.

University research is not an ivory-tower luxury – it is a key engine of Australia’s progress. In fact, analysis shows that every dollar invested in university R&D returns around $5 in economic benefit over time​. From new vaccines and medical devices to sustainable agriculture techniques, to innovations in mining and clean energy, the translation of research to tangible outcomes can yield enormous public benefits. To maximise impact, universities should strengthen partnerships with those who can apply research on the ground. Closer collaboration with industry can ensure academic discoveries find pathways to commercialisation – be it through joint R&D projects, innovation hubs on campus, or more fluid movement of researchers between academia and business.

Likewise, aligning research with government priorities (while preserving academic independence) can help inform evidence-based policy on issues like public health, urban planning, and medical technology. We have seen glimpses of this collaborative model work well – for example, university scientists partnering with firms to develop mRNA vaccines, or engineering faculties working with government on climate resilience projects. But such examples must become the norm. By designating key research missions (in areas like clean energy, biomedical technology, AI ethics, Indigenous health, and more) and funding them accordingly, Australia can ensure its academic inquiry directly feeds the public interest.

Just as important is measuring what matters: universities should broaden how they evaluate academic success, giving weight not only to citations or grants won, but also to societal impact – patents filed, policies informed, startups spawned, communities served. Some Australian universities are moving in this direction, creating “impact and engagement” metrics in promotions. Such shifts send a clear message to scholars that working on real-world problems and collaborating outside campus is valued and expected. The end goal is a research enterprise that remains intellectually vibrant and powerfully relevant – a source of new ideas that are eagerly taken up by industry and government partners to advance Australia’s economic and social well-being.

Smarter Research Infrastructure through Collaboration

If impact-oriented research is the destination, innovative research infrastructure is the highway to get there. Cutting-edge inquiry today often requires expensive equipment, large datasets, and specialised facilities – resources no single university can always afford or manage alone. As public institutions, our universities have a responsibility to use resources efficiently and collaboratively, breaking down competitive silos in favor of shared platforms that serve many. Australia has already pioneered models for this with the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), a program that coordinates open-access national facilities from genomics labs to supercomputing centres. The lesson from NCRIS and similar efforts is clear: we achieve far more when we pool our investments in research tools and technology.

Going forward, universities should double down on co-investment and co-development of research infrastructure. Instead of ten universities each buying a costly piece of equipment, they could jointly fund a single world-class facility accessible to all their researchers. We see this approach emerging in areas like astronomy (with shared observatories), marine science (with research vessels), and high-performance computing. It needs to become standard practice across disciplines. Likewise, universities can collaborate on digital infrastructure – for example, creating common data repositories and analytic platforms that multiple institutions and industries can use, which is especially important as big data and AI become central to research. By coordinating these investments, the sector not only saves public money, it also accelerates discovery: a scientist in Perth can run experiments on a machine in Melbourne, or a team spanning Sydney and Brisbane can share real-time data via unified systems.

Cross-institution collaboration on infrastructure also spurs cross-pollination of ideas. When facilities are shared, so too are expertise and talent – multidisciplinary teams from different universities and even CSIRO or medical institutes can work side by side. This breaks down the barriers of geography and institutional prestige, reinforcing the notion that Australian science is a collective when it comes to global competitiveness. Of course, forging such cooperation requires trust and agreement on governance and cost-sharing, but as public institutions it is incumbent on universities to find those agreements in the national interest. By making smart, networked infrastructure investments – whether physical labs or virtual platforms – we equip our researchers to deliver greater impact collectively than they ever could in isolation.

Embracing Online Education

No discussion of future strategy can ignore the transformation in online education. The pandemic years demonstrated that digital learning at scale is not only feasible but, when done well, can be highly effective. Australian universities rapidly stood up online lectures and virtual classrooms in 2020-2021, and though campuses have since reopened, the landscape of education has been permanently altered. The old mindset that online offerings are a secondary, inferior option must be discarded. To serve the public good, universities must fully integrate online education as a central pillar of their teaching mission – a means to expand accessibility and engagement far beyond the walls of the campus.

Online and blended learning unlock opportunities to reach students who otherwise might be left out: the working parent who can’t attend classes at 2pm on a weekday, the rural or Indigenous student who lives hours from the nearest campus, the mid-career professional who needs a flexible schedule, or the international learner unable to travel abroad. By investing in robust online programs, universities can cater to these groups without compromising quality. This requires more than uploading lecture slides; it means reimagining pedagogy for the digital medium. Interactive courseware, virtual labs and simulations, adaptive learning technologies, and regular live-discussion touchpoints can all enrich the online experience.

Some Australian institutions have been innovators in this space for years (indeed, Australia was a pioneer in distance education and continues to lead in some forms of transnational online delivery​. Now every university should treat digital education as part of its core business model, not an afterthought. The online campus should be as vibrant and important as the physical campus. Crucially, integrating online education advances equity. It lowers barriers of location, disability, and disadvantaged groups. A student in a small town or with a full-time job can access the same courses as one on an urban campus – if we design our systems to enable it. Moreover, online education opens new modes of engagement: alumni or members of the public could virtually join in certain lectures or public events, turning the university into a more open community hub of knowledge.

By blending online and in-person offerings, universities can also offer hybrid learning pathways – for example, a student might do two years online and then a year on campus, or vice versa – adding tremendous flexibility to adapt to students’ circumstances. Rather than cannibalising on-campus experience, a strong online pillar complements it, extending the university’s reach and impact. The future Australian university should be a phygital institution – physical and digital – leveraging technology to fulfill its public mission of broad access to education. Inclusion demands going fully online as needed, with the same commitment to excellence that we expect in the lecture hall.

Driving Innovation and Economic Growth

Modern universities are more than educational institutions; they are increasingly economic engines for their cities, regions, and the nation. In Australia, universities already contribute enormously to the economy – not only via the direct jobs and spending they generate, but through the knowledge and innovation they produce. More fundamentally, the prosperity of Australia over the past decades owes much to the research breakthroughs and skilled graduates flowing from our universities​. As we transition further into a knowledge economy, universities must lean into this role as active drivers of innovation, commercialisation and growth – not in tension with their public mission, but as a fulfillment of it. After all, a stronger economy with quality jobs and new industries is very much in the public interest.

To pivot from pure knowledge creation to innovation execution, universities will need to deepen their engagement with the startup and business ecosystem. Many Australian universities have already set up technology transfer offices, incubators, seed fund, and entrepreneurship programs; these efforts should be expanded and embedded into the core strategy. The goal is to create a seamless pipeline from campus lab to marketplace: when a researcher develops a promising solar cell material or AI algorithm, the university has mechanisms to patent it, fund its further development, partner with investors or government, and perhaps spin out a new company.

Commercialisation need not be a dirty word in academia if approached ethically and strategically; it is a means of delivering public benefit by turning ideas into solutions people can use. Of course, not every discovery will become a unicorn startup, but the culture shift toward valuing enterprise and practical application is key. Moreover, universities can act as anchors for innovation precincts that cluster businesses, researchers, and students together. By smartly utilising campus real estate (more on that below) to host R&D parks, accelerators, or co-location spaces for industry partners, universities can catalyse local economic development. These hubs attract companies to be near talent and research, creating virtuous cycles of job creation and joint projects.

In regional areas, a university can be the linchpin of attracting new industries or government research facilities, combating the brain drain to capital cities. And let’s not forget human capital: the graduates a university produces each year might be its greatest economic contribution. Through work-integrated learning, entrepreneurship training, and industry-informed curricula, universities can produce graduates who are not just job-seekers but job creators and innovators from day one. The Australian government and public increasingly expect universities to justify the significant public and student investment by showing tangible returns in innovation and growth. We should welcome this accountability.

By recasting themselves as proactive agents of economic development, universities reinforce their public value. It means professors collaborating with companies on R&D, students launching start-ups out of dorm rooms, business leaders co-designing courses – the walls between “academic” and “economic” spheres becoming more porous. Properly managed, this does not dilute academic integrity; it elevates the university’s relevance.

Our universities help drive national prosperity, which in turn provides the resources to invest back into education and research – a virtuous cycle of public benefit.

Leveraging Assets for the Greater Good

In pursuing their missions, universities are asset-rich institutions – not in cash, perhaps, but in physical, technological, and intellectual assets that often lie underutilised. To maximise public value, universities must get smarter about leveraging these assets. This includes everything from their real estate holdings and campuses, to their technological infrastructure and data, to their troves of intellectual property. With creative thinking, each of these can be deployed in ways that amplify impact beyond the campus gates.

Consider real estate: Australian universities collectively occupy prime land and facilities across cities and regions. Instead of viewing campuses as self-contained academic islands, universities can open them up as multi-use spaces that benefit communities. This could mean hosting startup incubators, as mentioned, or making campus facilities (libraries, auditoriums, sports centres) available to the public after hours (which many do), or developing affordable student and staff housing that also revitalises surrounding neighborhoods. Some universities are partnering with local governments and businesses to create innovation districts or cultural precincts on their land, generating economic activity and community engagement.

Then there is intellectual property (IP) – the patents, inventions, and creative works emerging from university research. Too frequently, university IP sits on a shelf due to lack of commercialisation capacity or risk appetite. A public-first mindset would treat useful IP as an opportunity to change lives, not just a legal asset. Universities should invest in professionals who can drive licensing deals or startup formation around key patents (in medicine, engineering, etc.), so that innovations reach the people who need them. Even educational content is an asset: universities could release some curricula or course materials openly to contribute to public knowledge, without undermining their tuition model for full degrees.

In short, by viewing campuses and IP through a public impact lens, universities can find creative ways to do more with what they already have. This might mean a mindset shift – from proprietary control of assets to stewardship for public use. There are, of course, limits and security considerations, but many assets could be far better utilised through partnerships and openness. At the end of the day, a university’s riches are not just financial; they lie in the accumulated resources entrusted to it by society. Leveraging those responsibly for maximum community benefit is a direct extension of the university’s public mission.

Earning Public Trust and Shaping Civic Discourse

Universities hold a unique place in society’s fabric – they are among our oldest and most enduring institutions, tasked not only with teaching and research but also with upholding truth and fostering informed debate. In an era of misinformation, polarised politics, and eroding confidence in institutions, universities must work actively to earn and maintain public trust. Being a public institution means the public grants you authority – but that authority is no longer assumed, it must be continuously validated by actions​.

To strengthen trust, universities should lean into their role as honest brokers and thought leaders in civic life. This involves communicating research in accessible ways and contributing expertise to public policy discussions. For example, when climate change or pandemic policy is being debated, university scientists and economists should be front and centre informing the public and policymakers with evidence. Many are doing this, but institutions can do more to incentivise and support public engagement – from media training for academics, to rewarding op-eds and public talks, to creating platforms for community dialogue on campus. Universities can host town hall meetings on contentious issues, model civil discourse, and invite the public in for lectures and short courses that elevate understanding on topics from artificial intelligence ethics to constitutional reform.

Such outreach isn’t just a nice-to-have; it reaffirms universities as trusted sources of knowledge and forums for the nation’s intellectual life. Transparency is also key to trust. Universities should be open about how they operate and use funds, communicate clearly about the rationale for major decisions, and be responsive to public concerns (such as those around foreign interference or freedom of speech on campus). They must hold themselves to the highest ethical standards in research and administration, showing that the public money and confidence invested in them is well placed.

Finally, universities need to actively demonstrate their commitment to the public interest, not just talk about it. This could mean orienting certain resources to underserved causes – for instance, providing research and legal expertise pro bono to community organisations, or lending support to government initiatives in times of crisis (as some did during the COVID-19 response). The more universities are seen on the ground working to improve society, the more the average citizen will regard them as indispensable. In doing so, universities also educate by example, showing their students what it means to be civically engaged and responsible. In sum, by stepping up as vocal, visible champions of knowledge, reason, and public service, Australia’s universities can help steer national discourse in a positive direction – and cement the public trust that underpins their social license to operate.

Engaging Regions and Communities Equitably

For too long, the benefits of Australia’s universities have been unevenly distributed across geography and demographics. The elite campuses in capital cities thrive, while many regional communities struggle with limited access to higher education and the opportunities it brings. If universities are truly public institutions for all, they must extend their presence and partnerships beyond the metropolitan centres, strengthening regional or outer suburb economies and promoting equity in education. This is not merely about opening satellite campuses (though that can help) – it’s about a holistic commitment to regional and community engagement as a core part of the university’s mission.

First, improving regional access. I’m a beneficial of a regional University education, and this was a fundamental to my career – so I have biases lens. A student’s chances of attending university should not depend on their postcode. Universities can collaborate with governments to establish branch facilities in under-served areas, where local students can take courses without having to relocate. Some Australian universities already have multi-campus models spanning city and country, but more can be done to cover education deserts. In places where a full campus isn’t viable, partnering with TAFEs and local learning centres to offer hybrid degree pathways can fill the gap. Additionally, recruiting and support strategies should be tailored to rural and Indigenous students – providing accommodation scholarships, mentoring, and preparatory programs to bridge the gap to university life. These efforts align with national targets to boost participation of under-represented groups by 2050​.

The public mission demands that universities help level the playing field in educational attainment. Second, conducting research that directly benefits regional industries and communities. Agriculture, mining, aquaculture, tourism – many of Australia’s key sectors are regionally based and have distinct research needs. Universities should expand outreach through extension programs and field research stations that connect academic expertise to local challenges (for example, helping farmers adopt new drought-resistant crops, or assisting a rural hospital with telehealth innovations).

When locals see universities actively contributing to solving problems in their backyard, it fosters goodwill and tangible progress. A biologist studying biodiversity in the Daintree or an engineer working on inland solar microgrids is both advancing knowledge and directly impacting that community. Third, fostering cultural and educational enrichment at the community level. Universities can serve as cultural centres not just for cities but for towns – hosting travelling exhibitions, public lectures, school outreach programs that inspire the next generation of regional youth. Many city campuses have wonderful museums, theatres, and libraries; through mobile or collaborative efforts, these resources could be shared more widely. Even sporting partnerships (university sports science programs working with regional sports academies, for instance) can build community bonds. The overarching idea is to embed universities in the life of every community, not see them as distant institutions. The returns on stronger regional engagement are immense: slowing rural brain drain, spurring local entrepreneurship, improving regional health and education outcomes, and fostering national cohesion.

When a region thrives due to knowledge and talent, Australia thrives. Thus, investing effort and resources in the regions is not charity; it’s a strategic imperative for the country’s balanced development. By widening their geographic footprint and adapting to local needs, universities honour their public promise to be universities of Australia, not just in Australia.

Leading on National and Global Challenges

Our era is defined by a series of grand challenges that will shape the future of Australia and humanity: climate change, which threatens our environment and way of life; artificial intelligence and automation, which promise both disruption and opportunity; public health crises, from pandemics to mental health epidemics; and many others such as cybersecurity, inequality, and an ageing population. These challenges are complex, interdisciplinary, and urgent. If Australian universities do not step up as key actors in addressing them, who will? The public university of the 21st century must see itself not just as an observer or educator on these issues, but as an active problem-solver and leader working hand-in-hand with government, industry, and international peers to drive solutions. Take climate change. Universities should continue to be at the forefront of research into renewable energy, climate adaptation, and environmental conservation – and equally at the forefront of campus sustainability, setting an example by decarbonising their own operations. They possess the expert knowledge in climate science and ecology; converting that knowledge into practical action and policy is a direct public service to the nation’s future.

Many Australian universities have excellent climate researchers and even entire institutes dedicated to climate and energy. By amplifying their efforts, coordinating nationally, and advising policymakers with one voice on the urgency of action, they can significantly influence Australia’s response to climate change. Similarly, they must prepare the workforce needed for a low-carbon economy through specialised training (from renewable energy engineers to environmental lawyers).

On the digital front, the rise of AI and data science is both an opportunity for innovation and a potential threat if mismanaged. Universities should lead in both developing cutting-edge AI technology and in framing the ethical guidelines and societal implications of AI. For example, computer science departments can partner with philosophy and law faculties to develop comprehensive AI ethics curricula and research, ensuring Australia not only produces AI experts but responsible ones. Moreover, as AI begins to permeate every field, universities need to update curricula across disciplines to include digital literacy and critical thinking about technology. Being proactive in this space serves the public by helping society reap AI’s benefits (through innovation and new businesses) while safeguarding against its risks (like job displacement or privacy invasion). Healthcare is another arena where the public role of universities is paramount. The pandemic showed the importance of having strong medical research and training pipelines. Australian universities train our doctors, nurses, and public health experts; expanding these programs (for example, more medical school places, including for under-served regions is vital to meet future demand).

Research-wise, universities should continue to tackle diseases prevalent in our region, improve healthcare delivery through health economics and policy research, and collaborate with hospitals on trials and innovation. A pressing challenge like the mental health crisis among youth calls for universities to contribute solutions – perhaps through campus mental health research centres that also pilot community interventions, leveraging both academic knowledge and student involvement. Crucially, many challenges are global in nature, so Australian universities must collaborate internationally to address them. Participating in global research consortia on climate, health, or poverty, and sharing findings openly, is part of the responsibility of being a leading university.

International education itself, as noted, can contribute to addressing challenges by building global goodwill and understanding. When Australian universities educate students from the Asia-Pacific in, say, disaster management or sustainable agriculture, and those students return home, they carry tools to improve resilience in their own communities – a form of knowledge diplomacy with real impact. The message is that universities should choose big problems as their targets just as much as they choose academic disciplines. Success in these endeavors will yield immeasurable public good – lives saved, ecosystems preserved, technologies harnessed for humanity’s benefit. It will also reinforce universities’ standing as essential problem-solvers in society, countering any narrative that they are aloof or irrelevant. Undertaking research to find solutions to our biggest challenges is exactly what the public expects of its universities​, and meeting those expectations will define the legacy of Australian higher education in this century.

Future-Proofing Governance and Accountability

Achieving all of the above transformations will require universities to be agile and strategic in ways they historically haven’t been. Many Australian universities still operate with governance and decision-making structures born in a different era. To navigate rapid change, universities must future-proof their governance, finding the right balance between public accountability and nimble management. This begins with clarifying purpose at the governance level. University councils (or senates/boards) should explicitly embrace the institution’s public mission as the north star for all decisions. That ethos should trickle down to strategic plans and KPIs set for vice-chancellors and executives: metrics should include not just financial health and enrollment numbers, but measures of public impact (like community engagement indices, diversity and equity outcomes, research translation success, etc.). When leadership is evaluated on public-value metrics, they are more likely to prioritise accordingly. It sends a signal throughout the organisation that serving the public good is everyone’s job.

At the same time, governance bodies need to be empowered to act swiftly on big opportunities or threats. The pace of change in technology, student expectations, and global trends means waiting 12-18 months for a committee to approve a new initiative might be too slow. Universities could consider more agile decision-making frameworks – for instance, delegating certain approvals to smaller task forces with a mandate to experiment (with oversight, of course), or adopting “pilot and evaluate” approaches rather than seeking perfect consensus upfront. During the pandemic, universities showed they can move fast when forced – shifting thousands of courses online in a matter of weeks.

If universities show they are committed to reforming themselves for agility and public responsiveness, governments in turn might grant them more flexibility (for example in funding usage or regulation) to innovate. Agile governance does not mean abandoning accountability or public oversight – universities must always remain transparent stewards of public funds and trust. But it does mean trimming unnecessary red tape and empowering public leadership.

The future will likely bring more shocks – whether financial, technological or societal – and universities that can pivot quickly will best preserve their public mission through the turbulence. By modernising governance now, we increase the odds that our universities remain robust, future-proof institutions delivering value to Australia no matter what changes come.

Collaboration Over Competition

A guiding theme through all these areas is that working together will amplify impact. Traditionally, universities have been competitors – for students, for rankings, for grants, sometimes to the detriment of the bigger picture. While healthy competition can spur excellence, an ethos of cut-throat rivalry in a small system like Australia’s can also be counterproductive. The challenges and goals outlined above – widening access, building infrastructure, tackling grand challenges – are often beyond the scope of any single institution. To truly serve the nation and the world, Australian universities must embrace collaboration over competition more than ever before, forging new models of partnership, shared investment, and collective influence.

This spirit of collaboration needs to happen at multiple levels. Domestically, universities can share resources and avoid redundant duplication. We’ve discussed shared research facilities, but it could extend to academic programs (co-developing courses that students at multiple universities can take for credit), joint appointments of key professors, or coordinated outreach so that every region has coverage without everyone piling into the same city market. The government and industry partners prefer to deal with a sector that can present united solutions, rather than a fragmented bunch of institutions each pushing their own barrow. By collaborating, universities can actually increase their collective influence on national policy and strategy. Unified advocacy is harder to ignore. Internationally, collaboration is equally crucial. Australian universities, especially mid-sized ones, might struggle alone to be heard on the world stage or to break into new markets. But through alliances, they can punch above their weight. Shared initiatives – like co-hosted international research centres or dual degree programs with overseas universities – broaden reach and impact for all involved.

Collaborating globally also feeds the primary mission: it exposes Australian students and faculty to global perspectives and allows us to contribute to solutions in our region (such as helping Pacific Island universities with climate adaptation research, or jointly training medical professionals with countries in our neighbourhood). These efforts build goodwill and fulfill our responsibility as a developed nation to support global knowledge advancement. Even on the home front, we might envision bold new models of sector-wide collaboration. Could universities create a shared online platform for certain high-demand courses, so that students from any university (or outside the system) can access the best instructors nationally? Could we see “cluster hiring” where multiple universities together attract a group of global experts to Australia, placing each at a different institution but funding their collaborative network? These ideas would have been radical in the past, but the future may demand such creativity. The point is that collaboration should move from the margins to the mainstream of how universities operate. Of course, competition will not (and need not) disappear entirely – it can motivate improvement. But the balance needs recalibration. When facing global tech giants in online learning or well-funded foreign universities, Australia’s institutions are stronger together than separately. By fostering a culture where sharing and partnership are rewarded – where a vice-chancellor’s reputation is as much about what they built collaboratively as what their institution won individually – we can unlock synergies that benefit everyone. In the end, students, researchers, and the public don’t care which university solved a problem or provided a service; they care that it was solved or provided. Collaboration puts impact above ego, which is exactly the ethos of a public-first mindset.

Conclusion: A Public-First Future

Repositioning Australian universities for the future is a complex undertaking, but the path forward can be grounded in a simple principle: always ask, “Are we serving the public good?” That question should resonate in every strategy meeting, every budget decision, every new program proposal. By viewing themselves unapologetically as public institutions first and businesses second, universities can make choices that not only ensure their own sustainability but also maximise their benefit to society.

Growth and transformation are necessary – our world is changing too rapidly for universities to stand still – but these must not come at the expense of mission. Instead, growth in service to mission is the mantra that can guide the sector. In this vision of the future, Australian universities in 2035 or 2050 are more accessible, more engaged, and more impactful than ever.

They educate a larger and more diverse share of the population (hitting ambitious attainment targets) because they have embraced lifelong learning and multiple entry points. They are deeply embedded in global networks, yet firmly committed to local communities. They generate research that drives industries and improves lives, supported by collaborative infrastructure and adequate funding streams that no longer distort academic priorities​. They harness technology to tear down barriers rather than reinforce hierarchies. They steward their resources – human, physical, intellectual – for maximum social return. They stand as trusted pillars of societal leadership, convening conversations that matter and speaking truth to power when needed.

The good news is many of the pieces are already in motion – policy is aligning, public awareness is growing, and a new generation of academics and students are eager for change. The task at hand is to connect these pieces into a coherent strategy that places public purpose at the heart of everything.

Our universities were born as institutions of and for the people; by recommitting to that identity, they can ensure not just their own future growth, but the progress and prosperity of the nation they exist to serve. A stronger, more sustainable Australia depends on their success​– and that success will be measured not just in financial ledgers or rankings, but in the enlightenment, equity, and innovation our universities deliver for all Australians.