Media Releases

28 May 2026

2050 Alliance congratulates Commissioners on appointment to lead new ATEC

The 2050 Alliance welcomes the appointment of Professor Barney Glover AO as the first Chief Commissioner of the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) and looks forward to working with Commissioners to strengthen our universities to serve their students and communities. 

Professor Glover has been a long-standing leader in tertiary education, including as interim ATEC Commissioner and Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia, a member of the independent panel for the Australian Universities Accord and as a university Vice-Chancellor. 

2050 Alliance Chair Distinguished Professor George Williams AO said that the ATEC will provide improved stewardship for Australia’s higher education sector in delivering the long-term goals of the Universities Accord. 

“We support the Accord’s agenda of long-term reform to lift participation in tertiary education and the role the ATEC will play in delivering intergenerational equity and productivity growth for future generations,” he said. 

“The 2050 Alliance looks forward to continued work with Professor Glover and the other Commissioners to ensure the success of these goals, including 80% tertiary attainment by 2050.” 

2050 Alliance CEO Paul Harris said the Alliance is already engaging closely with the ATEC and that collaboration is the key to achieving our shared goals. 

“We are particularly focused on fairer student fees, mission-based compacts, needs-based funding, and simpler pathways for students across the tertiary education system,” he said. 

“We also welcome the announcement of Commissioners the Hon Fiona Nash, Professor Stephen Duckett AM and David Coltman, and look forward to a close and constructive relationship with them, and thank Professor Tom Calma AO for his work on the interim ATEC.”