@johnfleckeross.bsky.social
Resentment about university leaders’ salaries is not about their size so much as the relativities between the best and worst paid. “It’s when the gap is very great that I think issues of justice begin to open up.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reformi...
Reformist chancellor ‘sought pay rise’ amid governance ‘crisis’
Swinburne’s Pollaers reportedly asked for more money while confronting governance inquiry fuelled by resentment over overpaid leaders
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Resentment about university leaders’ salaries is not about their size so much as the relativities between the best and worst paid. “It’s when the gap is very great that I think issues of justice begin to open up.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reformi...
Reformist head of representative body for university chancellors, who's trying to resolve a governance crisis exacerbated by perceptions that university executives are paid too much, stands accused of lobbying the government to have his own pay increased. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reformi...
Reformist chancellor ‘sought pay rise’ amid governance ‘crisis’
Swinburne’s Pollaers reportedly asked for more money while confronting governance inquiry fuelled by resentment over overpaid leaders
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reformist head of representative body for university chancellors, who's trying to resolve a governance crisis exacerbated by perceptions that university executives are paid too much, stands accused of lobbying the government to have his own pay increased. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reformi...
Proposed legislation “a win” for established colleges and risks stifling new ideas in a sector threatened by AI and competing business models. “There’s no question that those changes will make it harder for new providers to enter the sector.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/austral...
Australians-only rule ‘a de facto ban’ on new providers
Proposed integrity bill risks making it almost impossible for new entrants to launch, starving sector of innovation, experts warn
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Proposed legislation “a win” for established colleges and risks stifling new ideas in a sector threatened by AI and competing business models. “There’s no question that those changes will make it harder for new providers to enter the sector.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/austral...
A catch-22 in proposed legislation, designed to protect Australian higher education from unethical operators, risks freezing out new entrants to the sector. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/austral...
Australians-only rule ‘a de facto ban’ on new providers
Proposed integrity bill risks making it almost impossible for new entrants to launch, starving sector of innovation, experts warn
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:21 PM
A catch-22 in proposed legislation, designed to protect Australian higher education from unethical operators, risks freezing out new entrants to the sector. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/austral...
“The key additional feature is inserting some discipline on providers who are overenrolling above their limits. This new priority three visa processing slower lane was expected to come in.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
Canberra confirms ‘third lane’ for visa processing
New approach rewards institutions that ‘broadly’ conform to government quotas
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:52 PM
“The key additional feature is inserting some discipline on providers who are overenrolling above their limits. This new priority three visa processing slower lane was expected to come in.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
Arrangements outlined new ministerial direction 115 require visa processing staff to give very low priority to applications from students enrolled with institutions that have exceeded their following year’s allocations by 15 per cent. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
Canberra confirms ‘third lane’ for visa processing
New approach rewards institutions that ‘broadly’ conform to government quotas
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Arrangements outlined new ministerial direction 115 require visa processing staff to give very low priority to applications from students enrolled with institutions that have exceeded their following year’s allocations by 15 per cent. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
Australia’s government has confirmed that it will pressure universities and colleges to comply with quotas on their foreign enrolments by introducing a “third lane” in its visa processing regime. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
Canberra confirms ‘third lane’ for visa processing
New approach rewards institutions that ‘broadly’ conform to government quotas
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Australia’s government has confirmed that it will pressure universities and colleges to comply with quotas on their foreign enrolments by introducing a “third lane” in its visa processing regime. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/canberr...
“The assumption [is], ‘we’ll tell you what our priorities are, but you’ve got to pay for it. It’s a bit like saying…‘we’d like you to put the fire out, but could you please bring your own truck and hose?’” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Students meeting skill needs ‘should be subsidised, not indebted’
Government and business should pick up the tab for national priorities, says opposition leader turned university boss
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
“The assumption [is], ‘we’ll tell you what our priorities are, but you’ve got to pay for it. It’s a bit like saying…‘we’d like you to put the fire out, but could you please bring your own truck and hose?’” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Australian politicians “want it both ways” with policies that require individuals to meet more of the cost of their higher education while giving them less choice of subjects, says Shorten, who proposes a “national skills bursary” to address student debt. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Students meeting skill needs ‘should be subsidised, not indebted’
Government and business should pick up the tab for national priorities, says opposition leader turned university boss
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Australian politicians “want it both ways” with policies that require individuals to meet more of the cost of their higher education while giving them less choice of subjects, says Shorten, who proposes a “national skills bursary” to address student debt. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Australia’s government to fund 9,500 more domestic uni places next year, on orders of ATEC, and open another seven university study hubs including Kangaroo Island, Norfolk Island and Jason Clare's old stomping ground of Fairfield. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-un...
More undergraduate places, study hubs for Australia
Allocation of 9,500 extra places will boost capacity in a system where demand can be fickle
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Australia’s government to fund 9,500 more domestic uni places next year, on orders of ATEC, and open another seven university study hubs including Kangaroo Island, Norfolk Island and Jason Clare's old stomping ground of Fairfield. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-un...
Uni managements need to weigh up the risks of Chinese collaborations. “Consulting with the Australian government should absolutely be part of that. But let’s not let that serious business development and due diligence get sidetracked by scaremongering.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
‘Red flags’ over teaching partnership with Chinese university
Macquarie insists due diligence on joint institute has been ‘comprehensive’, despite partner’s links with surveillance research
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Uni managements need to weigh up the risks of Chinese collaborations. “Consulting with the Australian government should absolutely be part of that. But let’s not let that serious business development and due diligence get sidetracked by scaremongering.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
“Courses in history would be less of an issue. But it’s a computer science interaction with an institution that has advanced capability in using information technology to suppress ethnic minorities. To what level are we comfortable with that?” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
‘Red flags’ over teaching partnership with Chinese university
Macquarie insists due diligence on joint institute has been ‘comprehensive’, despite partner’s links with surveillance research
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:18 PM
“Courses in history would be less of an issue. But it’s a computer science interaction with an institution that has advanced capability in using information technology to suppress ethnic minorities. To what level are we comfortable with that?” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
Sydney’s Macquarie University has rejected a newspaper’s claims that its joint institute with a “military-linked” Chinese institution will train “cyber warriors” for Beijing and could spawn “malicious insider risks” in Western security agencies. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
‘Red flags’ over teaching partnership with Chinese university
Macquarie insists due diligence on joint institute has been ‘comprehensive’, despite partner’s links with surveillance research
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Sydney’s Macquarie University has rejected a newspaper’s claims that its joint institute with a “military-linked” Chinese institution will train “cyber warriors” for Beijing and could spawn “malicious insider risks” in Western security agencies. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/red-fla...
Australian corporations have long played formal roles in delivering VET, with dozens functioning as “enterprise RTOs” whose in-house training arms are nationally registered providers, but until now they've mostly avoided direct involvement in HE delivery. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
‘Critical’ business partnerships help expand universities’ reach
Qantas and McDonald’s move into Australian higher education delivery, offering institutions employer-led pathways and potential new income streams
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Australian corporations have long played formal roles in delivering VET, with dozens functioning as “enterprise RTOs” whose in-house training arms are nationally registered providers, but until now they've mostly avoided direct involvement in HE delivery. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
Qantas and McDonalds schemes, billed as national firsts, emerge amid drive to cut costs, boost productivity and increase flexibility by formally recognising students' prior knowledge, and could yield new business opportunities for cash-strapped unis. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
‘Critical’ business partnerships help expand universities’ reach
Qantas and McDonald’s move into Australian higher education delivery, offering institutions employer-led pathways and potential new income streams
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Qantas and McDonalds schemes, billed as national firsts, emerge amid drive to cut costs, boost productivity and increase flexibility by formally recognising students' prior knowledge, and could yield new business opportunities for cash-strapped unis. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
Two of Australia’s biggest corporate entities have staked out territory in the higher education sector, marking a pitch for legitimacy by the companies and a bid for relevance and revenue by their university partners. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
‘Critical’ business partnerships help expand universities’ reach
Qantas and McDonald’s move into Australian higher education delivery, offering institutions employer-led pathways and potential new income streams
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Two of Australia’s biggest corporate entities have staked out territory in the higher education sector, marking a pitch for legitimacy by the companies and a bid for relevance and revenue by their university partners. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/critica...
Two-thirds of researchers globally say there is now more emphasis on producing research aligned with government priorities compared with a few years ago, a major survey has found. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/scholar...
Scholars worldwide pushed towards ‘mission-orientated’ research
Majority of researchers feel greater pressure to focus on topics deemed important by government, says Elsevier survey
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Two-thirds of researchers globally say there is now more emphasis on producing research aligned with government priorities compared with a few years ago, a major survey has found. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/scholar...
Survey of more than 1,500 adults uncovers widespread perceptions that Australian universities are unduly focused on earning revenue, with their students shouldering an excessive share of the cost. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/profit-...
Profit seen as ‘primary focus’ of Australian universities
Most voters believe universities are unduly focused on revenue and their students shoulder an excessive share, survey finds
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Survey of more than 1,500 adults uncovers widespread perceptions that Australian universities are unduly focused on earning revenue, with their students shouldering an excessive share of the cost. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/profit-...
More than one in two voters think the main purpose of contemporary unis is to turn a profit, although one in 30 think that should be the case, and well below half think the scale of tuition fees - and the time needed to pay them off - is reasonable. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/profit-...
Profit seen as ‘primary focus’ of Australian universities
Most voters believe universities are unduly focused on revenue and their students shoulder an excessive share, survey finds
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM
More than one in two voters think the main purpose of contemporary unis is to turn a profit, although one in 30 think that should be the case, and well below half think the scale of tuition fees - and the time needed to pay them off - is reasonable. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/profit-...
“The advantage of having an ombudsman is that a student can bypass a university system and go straight to another decision-maker.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
Fraction of complaints to new ombudsman concern sexual violence
Teaching and learning issues dominate grievances raised, with new Australian body set up primarily to tackle gender-based violence on campuses
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:14 PM
“The advantage of having an ombudsman is that a student can bypass a university system and go straight to another decision-maker.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
Estimated multi-billion-dollar benefits from code to prevent gender-based violence, which comes into force next year, stand at odds with the scale of the sexual violence caseload so far brought before the ombudsman so far - 28 out of 1,711 complaints. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
Fraction of complaints to new ombudsman concern sexual violence
Teaching and learning issues dominate grievances raised, with new Australian body set up primarily to tackle gender-based violence on campuses
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Estimated multi-billion-dollar benefits from code to prevent gender-based violence, which comes into force next year, stand at odds with the scale of the sexual violence caseload so far brought before the ombudsman so far - 28 out of 1,711 complaints. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
Gender-based violence, the raison d’être for National Student Ombudsman, accounted for just 2% of complaints the agency received in its first 5 months of operation, yet national code to “strengthen” the ombudsman’s work will save Australia A$3.5bn. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
Fraction of complaints to new ombudsman concern sexual violence
Teaching and learning issues dominate grievances raised, with new Australian body set up primarily to tackle gender-based violence on campuses
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Gender-based violence, the raison d’être for National Student Ombudsman, accounted for just 2% of complaints the agency received in its first 5 months of operation, yet national code to “strengthen” the ombudsman’s work will save Australia A$3.5bn. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fractio...
“The roles unis fulfil are partly determined by institutional strategies and partly by what the conditions of the time demand. There’s always a tension…between institutional autonomy and societal expectation; between system coherence and student demand.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...
OfS following Atec in developing sector ‘steward’ role – Husbands
Governments leaning on agencies to convert autonomous institutions into ‘strategic national asset’ but face task like ‘herding cats’
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:54 PM
“The roles unis fulfil are partly determined by institutional strategies and partly by what the conditions of the time demand. There’s always a tension…between institutional autonomy and societal expectation; between system coherence and student demand.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...
Chris Husbands said institutional autonomy had always sat uneasily with attempts to wrangle unis into a “system” capable of solving societal challenges. It was particularly the case now, amid an “increasing emphasis” on the sector’s strategic importance. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...
OfS following Atec in developing sector ‘steward’ role – Husbands
Governments leaning on agencies to convert autonomous institutions into ‘strategic national asset’ but face task like ‘herding cats’
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Chris Husbands said institutional autonomy had always sat uneasily with attempts to wrangle unis into a “system” capable of solving societal challenges. It was particularly the case now, amid an “increasing emphasis” on the sector’s strategic importance. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...
Harnessing unis as a “strategic national asset” is increasingly part of the job for agencies that oversee higher education, with the English regulator looking set to follow its fledgling Australian equivalent in taking on more of a “stewardship” role. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...
OfS following Atec in developing sector ‘steward’ role – Husbands
Governments leaning on agencies to convert autonomous institutions into ‘strategic national asset’ but face task like ‘herding cats’
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Harnessing unis as a “strategic national asset” is increasingly part of the job for agencies that oversee higher education, with the English regulator looking set to follow its fledgling Australian equivalent in taking on more of a “stewardship” role. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fol...