Follow The Money A broken university system is letting Australia down
10 snips
Nov 5, 2025 Richard Denniss, Co-CEO of the Australia Institute and a public policy commentator, dives deep into the failures of Australia’s university system. He discusses how decades of neoliberal policies have distorted governance and accountability in universities, leading to financial mismanagement. Denniss highlights polling showing Australians believe degrees should be more affordable and critiques the lack of scrutiny universities face. He warns that rising costs threaten social mobility and calls for urgent reform to improve transparency and accountability in the sector.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Neoliberalism Broke University Priorities
- Thirty years of neoliberal policy have left universities poorly funded, poorly regulated, and chasing revenue over education.
- That mix created institutions with high executive pay, weak accountability, and degraded teaching and research outcomes.
Public Money, Private-Like Management
- Universities receive large public funds yet avoid investor and parliamentary scrutiny while paying high executive salaries.
- That combination produces weak governance where leaders can claim crises while sitting on accumulated surpluses.
A Personal Memory Of Better Education
- Richard Denniss recalls a positive undergraduate experience at Newcastle University where education was affordable and meaningful.
- He contrasts that past experience with today's reduced student experience, heavier workloads for staff, and declining education quality.
