Universities and Australia's Future

Professor George Williams exposes how Australian universities are falling short of their public purpose, and what it will take to rebuild institutions worthy of the students and society they serve. 

Universities sit at the heart of Australia’s civic and intellectual life. Yet decades of underfunding, corporatisation and an obsessive chase for global rankings have hollowed out their mission, distancing campuses from the communities they exist to enlighten. The results are unmistakable: declining student experience, diminished creativity and a loss of confidence in universities as engines of public good. 

In this revelatory session, Professor George Williams AO draws on his vantage point as Vice Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University to set out the bold reforms needed to rescue Australia’s higher education system. He argues for a sector that abandons self-interest, reinvests in its students and re-earns its social licence through transparency, integrity and genuine public engagement. 

With rare candour, Williams unpacks how trust in universities has faltered and what must change to ensure the next generation of critical thinkers, researchers and innovators inherit institutions capable of meeting the moment. Don’t miss this timely edition of The Fifth Estate – the first of 2026 – with host Sally Warhaft.