Reimagining equity in Australian higher education: A call to transform, not tinker

This framing demands we design systems that serve students and communities equitably, dismantling both historical and structural barriers.

Right now, there is more focus on equity and access in the Australian higher education sector than ever before. Yet across both access and success, the sector is falling short for many of the students it claims to serve. Since the Bradley Review in 2008 (Bradley et al., 2008) and the introduction of Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) funding, universities have made progress in expanding participation from underrepresented groups (Department of Education, n.d.). However, class inequalities, cultural exclusions, and institutional inertia remain deeply embedded in the system.

Universities continue to operate within traditions shaped by patriarchy, class hierarchy, and colonialism.

These legacies are evident not only in policies, but also in the rhythms, routines, and norms of academic life. The subtle and often invisible architecture of exclusion, signalling who belongs and who thrives, can be as powerful as financial or structural barriers. If we are serious about equity, we must be prepared to confront these institutional norms and examine our own practices.

Addressing inequity requires more than targeted programs or outreach. It calls for a critical rethinking of how institutions are structured, funded, and governed. The transformation needed must extend to the very culture and operations that define the student experience. Without this, Australian higher education will fall short of the national equity goals set out in the Universities Accord Final Report (Department of Education, 2024). The Accord rightly sets an ambitious target: achieving population parity for underrepresented groups by 2050. But this goal will not be achieved under current policy and system settings. For example, to achieve parity in low socio-economic status (SES) participation alone, we would need to more than double the number of low SES students entering and completing university. The current model, which leans heavily on narrow admissions pathways and fragmented support systems, is not built to deliver that scale of transformation.

Incremental changes will not suffice. A full system overhaul is required. This includes:

• diversifying entry pathways beyond reliance on ATAR
• embedding equity outcomes into student success frameworks, not just access metrics
• resourcing institution-wide equity infrastructure
• prioritising needs-based and place-based funding approaches.

Equity must become part of the institutional core. It cannot remain an add-on or be treated as the responsibility of isolated units.

The bigger challenge is not just adding more students to classrooms. It is about reimagining the academic and cultural environment they enter. Today’s students face a complexity of challenges rarely acknowledged a decade ago. These include escalating mental health concerns, financial insecurity, rising disclosures of neurodiversity, caregiving responsibilities, and academic environments that still alienate through unspoken cultural codes. These are not marginal issues. They are increasingly the norm.

To meet our equity targets, universities must be truly prepared to support the students they claim to welcome. At the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), we are striving to model a different approach. We have embedded social justice into our institutional strategy and, critically, we have resourced it (UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, 2024).

The Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion (CSJI) at UTS is one of the few remaining centralised and fully funded equity hubs in Australia. CSJI does far more than run programs. It influences institutional policy, supports staff development, advocates for students, and drives operational and cultural change across the university. It integrates student equity, diversity and inclusion, community engagement, and thought leadership into a cohesive and connected ecosystem.

And it helps UTS deliver results:

• Our low SES student success rate stands at 90%, well above the national average of 82.45%.
• The U@Uni Academy supported over 389 students in 2024, achieving an 82.6% success rate (UTS CSJI, 2024).
• The UTS Pathways Plan, launched in 2025, will offer non-ATAR entry routes to broaden access (UTS, 2025).
• Programs such as the Pasifika Program, Humanitarian Scholarships, and projects for LGBTIQA+ inclusion embed equity across the university experience (UTS CSJI, 2024).