Australia’s universities face their biggest shake-up in decades. International student revenue is threatened, operating costs are rising, and funding pressures intensify alongside scrutiny of researchers. Concurrently, institutions face challenges regarding governance, free speech, increased regulation, and an AI revolution upending traditional teaching models.This occurs as the federal government tasks universities with educating more domestic students to ensure 80 per cent of the working-age population holds a tertiary qualification by 2050. Ultimately, this raises a crucial question: what is the future role of Australia’s universities, and who decides?Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles