News

27 May 2026

Launch of the 2050 Alliance – Universities for students, communities and the future

Nine Australian universities have today launched the 2050 Alliance to build a better future for students and communities across Australia. The Alliance is committed to achieving the national goal of increasing tertiary attainment to at least 80% of the working-age population by 2050, to ensure that all Australians have the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills they will need for a brighter future. Reaching this target promises to add $240 billion to Australia’s economy by 2050.

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March 31, 2026

New era for higher education system with passage of strengthened ATEC legislation

The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) welcomes the Senate’s passing of an amended bill to establish the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC). This is a major long-term reform that will improve stewardship of the system and bring greater focus on the mission of public universities to deliver education and research for their communities.

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March 13, 2026

Unfair student fees undermining Universities Accord goals for participation and equity: IRU report

New analysis from the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) shows increasing financial and social impacts of the Job-Ready Graduates (JRG) policy, with rising costs for students and fewer students from low socioeconomic backgrounds enrolling in university, especially in the most expensive fields.

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March 17, 2026

IRU welcomes R&D recommendations to drive a more innovative and equitable future for Australia

The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) welcomes the release today of Ambitious Australia, the final report from the Australian Government’s Strategic Examination of R&D (SERD). The IRU agrees with the SERD Expert Panel that policy and funding reform is needed and that decisions made in the 2020s will be critical for setting Australia up for the decades ahead, to ensure increased productivity and intergenerational justice.

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UNIVERSITIES FOR STUDENTS, COMMUNITIES, AND THE FUTURE

We are nine universities building the higher education system that students, communities and Australia will need by 2050.

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