Tertiary Education Policy and Landscape

Developing a New Vision for Post-Secondary Education: Ideas for Government

William Locke and Sarah French (2019)

There are some major challenges for higher education - and post-secondary education as a whole – in Australia, as the country moves into a new phase as an expanding knowledge-based society and economy. Meeting these challenges will require a clear vision of what kind of post-secondary education we need. The need for such a vision is set out in this new collection of contributions from panellists at three events held at the University of Melbourne during the first 100 days of the new government. The aim of the publication is to generate new ideas drawing on the latest evidence, challenge conventional thinking and offer practical steps that ministers, institutions and others could take in the next few years towards a longer term, comprehensive vision for post-secondary education.

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Scoping study to inform the Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards

Gwilym Croucher, Leo Goedegebuure, Richard James and Asma Ahsan (2018)

A scoping study aimed at identifying key issues and considerations regarding the current operation of the Provider Category Standards, mapping these against the needs of stakeholders for which they are especially relevant. The study was presented as part of an Australian government project.

Access document on the Australian Department of Education and Training website
Visions for Australian Tertiary Education

Richard James, Sarah French and Paula Kelly (2017)

The challenges associated with leading large academic organisations, especially universities, have long been acknowledged. In Australia, universities have largely operated as autonomous institutions with complex but stable governance structures modelled on traditional Western universities established centuries ago in Europe. Yet, higher education leaders now face very different challenges than their 20th century predecessors. The imperative for leaders to make decisions that will ensure their institutions are responsive, agile and innovative for financial viability and relevance into the 21st century is in contrast with often bureaucratic and slow-moving governance arrangements. How universities and other tertiary institutions reconcile increasingly corporate organisational models with the traditional educational roles of leaders to align with the fast-moving and competitive nature of tertiary education may define the market position of institutions into the future.

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Next Generation Education, Market Challenges and Marketisation

Frances Valintine, Ian Marshman and Steven Schwartz (2015)

Series of LH Martin Institute video interviews with Frances Valintine, Ian Marshman and Steven Schwartz

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Tertiary Education Policy in Australia

Simon Marginson (2013)

A collection of pieces designed to stimulate and contribute to a process of discussion on the substance of higher education and research in Australia.

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Australian Universities at a Crossroads

William B. Lacy, Gwilym Croucher, André Brett and Romina Mueller (2017)

Australian universities have experienced significant changes in the last 30 years and are at a key crossroads in their evolution and development. Although there have been multiple government taskforce reports and legislative initiatives, as well as scholarly books and policy analyses of the Australian university system, there exist few, if any, systematic surveys and analyses of the perceptions and observations of the sector’s leaders. This 2015-2016 study, which focuses on interviews with more than 100 university, government and community leaders, provides a unique review and analysis of their perceptions and insights. With this as a foundation, the report concludes with a summary of the key observations.

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