Equity report calls for overhaul of Australia’s higher education system

Launched as part of ACSES’ Australian Student Equity Symposium in Sydney, Equity Insights 2025: Policy, Power, and Practice for a Fairer Australian Tertiary Education System shares the views of vice-chancellors, policymakers, practitioners, and students, who examine why, despite substantial investment and effort, equity progress in Australian higher education remains modest.

Shamit Saggar, executive director of ACSES, said the purpose of the report is to shed light on the challenge of student equity, the responsibilities involved, and the progress being made.

“The report gathers 14 perspectives from key figures involved in higher education policy, university sector management, equity practice, student experience, and academic expertise. Each of these contributions reflects distinct elements of the task facing the sector,” said Saggar.

The report spans three themed sections: Rewriting the System: Policy, Structures and Reform; Power, Voice and Justice; and Making Equity Real: Practice, Place and Participation.

ACSES research and policy program director, Ian Li, said the report discusses the actions required across a broad range of areas. “It highlights both the systemic reforms required and the everyday practices that can make a real difference in the lives of students,” said Li.

[The report] highlights both the systemic reforms required and the everyday practices that can make a real difference in the lives of studentsIan Li, ASCES

The report argues that higher education is still shaped by entrenched class hierarchies, colonial legacies, and rigid divisions between vocational and university pathways, and that incremental reforms have not, and will not, deliver the impact required for the nation to meet the ambitious target of 80% tertiary attainment by 2050, with full parity for underrepresented groups.

Contributors also emphasise that cost-of-living pressures, housing stress, and mental health challenges are not peripheral concerns but central to whether students can complete their studies, and are just as important as reforming admissions or curriculum.

The longstanding divide between vocational education and universities was raised as a key issue, with calls for a harmonised system that allows students to move more easily between sectors and provides more flexible entry and exit points.

The report outlined measures to increase access for regional and remote students, including creating regional study hubs, tailored funding, and localised support outside metropolitan areas. It also called for leveraging the success of regional universities that already serve high proportions of equity students by using them as models for scaling equity.

Disability inclusion, meanwhile, must move beyond individual adjustments toward accessible curriculum and learning environments designed from the outset.

Indigenous contributors Leanne Holt and Tracy Woodroffe called for universities to move beyond transactional support and embed Indigenous leadership and cultural safety at every level of governance, teaching, and research.

Universities were also issued a warning that using AI and technology as a quick fix for equity risks widening the divide further. Instead, the report suggested equity must shape how AI is integrated through universal digital access, AI literacy, and student co-design.

The report also contained early insights from the new National Student Ombudsman, launched in February 2025, revealing strong demand for independent complaint resolution, especially on course administration, wellbeing, and financial issues. Sarah Bendall, who leads the office as First Assistant Ombudsman, argues this is proof that accountability must become a sector-wide priority.

While each section of the report contains unique perspectives and experiences, the overall message of Equity Insights 2025 is not simply to do more, it is to do differently, and it calls for bold leadership across the entire sector.