Higher Education Threshold Standards, Artificial Intelligence Strategy, National Student Safety Survey: Latest rundown of higher ed

From the Acting Chief Executive Officer,

With Luke Sheehy taking a well-earned break for the next couple of weeks, I have the pleasure of writing to you all on behalf of UA. Before I turn to the week’s advocacy work, I’d like to reflect on the Royal Commission hearings into antisemitism in Australia’s universities.

Like many of you, I’m sure, I have found myself this week returning to the hearings. It has, at times, been difficult and sobering. I want to first acknowledge the courage of the individuals who came forward to share their experiences. Reliving painful moments in such a public forum cannot have been easy, and I hope they know they were heard.

Their testimony was a powerful reminder that behind every headline, every policy and every institutional process are people. People who came to university expecting to feel safe, respected and included – and, in some cases, did not. We have to be honest with ourselves about that. As a sector, we recognise that our response has not always met the standards we aspire to. Acknowledging that is uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Listening, reflecting and improving is not a sign of weakness – it’s how we honour the trust students and staff place in our institutions every day.

I also want to acknowledge the vice-chancellors, university leaders and colleagues who appeared before the Commission. It was a difficult week for many of our members, and I know they approached the process with sincerity and a genuine commitment to learning from it and continuing to strengthen their universities. Antisemitism has no place in our universities. No form of racism, discrimination or hate does. Our responsibility now is to ensure this week’s difficult conversations become lasting action. UA, on behalf of the sector, is committed to that.

Over the past year, we have worked alongside the Antisemitism Education Taskforce, the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, the Australian Government, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency , the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Expert Council on University Governance to strengthen the sector’s response to racism, discrimination and hate. We have backed that engagement with practical action, including a nationally coordinated response to the Respect at Uni report and ongoing work with members to build safer, more inclusive university communities. Important progress has been made, but this week’s hearings are a reminder that there is more work to do.

That’s why we welcomed the new Higher Education Threshold Standards released this week. They strengthen the national framework for university governance and establish clearer expectations for preventing and responding to racism across our institutions. Throughout their development, we worked constructively with government, TEQSA and the Higher Education Standards Panel to help ensure the standards are proportionate, practical and workable for universities, while strengthening accountability and supporting safer, more inclusive campus communities.

The requirement for universities to adopt definitions, including of antisemitism, racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and Islamophobia, aligns with UA’s longstanding advocacy for nationally consistent approaches. Following members’ endorsement of UA’s definition of antisemitism last year, we wrote to TEQSA asking that it be embedded in the Threshold Standards to support consistent implementation across the sector. While the standards ultimately take a broader approach, they represent an important step towards the consistency we have been advocating for.

While much of this week’s attention has rightly focused on these issues, our broader advocacy agenda has continued. Yesterday, we brought together the sector groups to coordinate our approach to the Managed Growth Funding and Needs-based Funding legislation currently before Parliament. These reforms will shape how universities are funded, governed and regulated for years to come. It’s critical we get them right.

There continues to be strong alignment across the sector on the fundamentals: sustainable funding, institutional autonomy and a legislative framework that enables universities to deliver for students, communities and the nation. We are now finalising our submission to the Senate inquiry and look forward to sharing it with members shortly.

Another important development this week was the release of the government’s new Artificial Intelligence strategy. AI will shape the future of our economy, our workforce and our society, and universities are central to that future. Whether through world-leading research, educating the next generation of AI specialists, partnering with industry or helping Australia navigate the opportunities and challenges this technology presents, our sector has a key role to play. We welcome the government’s ambition to strengthen Australia’s AI capability and look forward to engaging constructively as the strategy moves from ambition to implementation.

Finally, preparations for this year’s National Student Safety Survey continue at pace. This week, our focus shifted to stakeholder engagement, with the communications toolkit shared more broadly to encourage student organisations and other key partners to support the national rollout. The survey belongs to the whole sector, and broad support will be essential to ensuring as many students as possible choose to participate and help shape safer campuses for current and future students. Every voice matters. As always, we'll keep members updated as preparations continue.

With Luke on leave for the next couple of weeks, you’ll hear from me again next week. Thank you for your continued engagement and interest in our work.