Welcome to the Noticeboard
Welcome to the August edition of the Noticeboard, a monthly update with news and opportunities from around the sector. If you have anything you’d like to share with members please contact DASSH.
News from dassh
Conference program available
The full program is now available for our 2026 Conference The Future-Facing University: Leadership from the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, taking place in Melbourne from 15–18 September.
We look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne next month.
Around the traps
National Competitive Grants Program updates announced
Reforms to the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) refocus funding on the best early-stage research for the benefit of Australia. The updated NCGP has greater support for early-career researchers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and research, and collaboration with industry and end-users. The NCGP will be condensed from 15 to seven schemes, to reduce complexity and administrative burden.
Read more
Read DASSH response
Arts degrees to cost $50,000 until at least 2028
Krishani Dhanji reports in The Guardian that Professor Barney Glover, Chief Commissioner of ATEC, will not recommend any interim measures to reform JRG. ATEC will advise government on degree funding in late 2027.
Read more
‘Skills-first’ approach could benefit the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Acting Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Commissioner Megan Lilly’s approach to skills recognition could benefit HASS, reports Stephen Matchett for Future Campus. The most recent JSA report calls for ‘the skills and capabilities embedded in degrees more visible, transferable and comparable across contexts,’ which could advantage skills-forward disciplines.
Read more
Graduates rely too much on AI
Employers warn that university graduates rely too much of Artificial Intelligence, report Natasha Bita and Georgia Palgan for The Australian. The Australian Association of Graduate Employer emphasise the importance of workplace skills including communication, resilience and critical thinking over AI skills.
Read more (paywall)
Privatising the public university in Australia
In a five-part series for Future Campus, Professor Richard Blythe from Curtin University argues that funding changes in Australia are moving the higher education sector closer to becoming a private system.
Read more
ATEC reports progress on university delivery costing
ATEC Commissioner Stephen Duckett has published a progress report on the creation of a new costing model for university teaching. ATEC is considering approaches to costing and pricing that would better reflect delivery costs, writes Stephen Marchett for Future Campus.
Read the article
Read the report
Aotearoa Tertiary Education Union calls fee increase ‘unacceptable’
The Aotearoa Tertiary Education Union says that a proposal to permit tertiary institutions to increase student fees to 6% in a year when fees-free support has been withdrawn is ‘unacceptable and irresponsible.’ The increase would push fees for students to more than 19% above 2024 levels.
Read press release
Overhauling JRG could ‘save Canberra money’
John Ross in Times Higher Education reports on two different approaches to JRG reforms: flat-fee structures and incomes based tiers. Mark Warburton, the author of one report, states that the ‘unjustifiable inequities’ of JRG must be removed.
Read the article
Read ‘Reforming HECS-HELP’ report
Read ‘Fixing JRG’ report
Indian students’ interest in Aotearoa holds steady
In an interview with Waikato University Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley, Mike Hosking from Newstalk ZB hears that Aotearoa New Zealand appears to be bucking a global downturn in demand from Indian students.
Listen here
Labour-market conditions for graduates unaffected by AI
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations reports in AI and Employment in Australia there has not been a specific deterioration in labour market conditions for tertiary graduates and there is no evidence of broad AI-driven labour-market upheaval in Australia.
Read the press release
Read the report
Universities require coordinated system-level reform
A University of Newcastle report Perceptions of Academic Work in Australia has found that academics are grappling with overwhelming workload pressures and structural challenges. It recommends steps to restore alignment between the responsibilities of universities and current institutional practices.
Read more
From Evidence to Impact 2026 equity report released
The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success summarises the most impactful student equity studies of the past 12 months in a recent report. The report aims to strengthen sector responses to meeting the Australian Universities Accord participation targets.
Read the report
OECD report: AI policy in higher education
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports how generative artificial intelligence is being adopted and used in higher education, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with its growing use.
Read the report
Greater equity participation key to growth in tertiary attainment
Dr Nadine Zacharias recommends a student-centric approach to increasing tertiary participation, in new discussion paper commissioned by 2050 Alliance. Dr Zacharias writes that clear links between national-level participation goals and contextualised targets should be reflected in mission-based compacts.
Read more
Universities unprepared to handle equity data
Bret Stephenson for the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success finds that universities face significant and largely unresolved governance challenges in relation to student equity data, owing to a fragmented regulatory landscape and institutional policy frameworks.
Read the report
Accreditation tied to addressing antisemitism
The university threshold standards now require universities to demonstrate the action they are taking to prevent and respond to antisemitism and other forms of racism, reports Connor Duffy for The ABC.
Read more
Asia embraces philosophy and AI courses
University courses combining artificial intelligence and philosophy are surging in popularity across Asia, driven by the demand for graduates who can understand and use generative technologies as well as critically evaluate them, reports Rosalind Skillen for Times Higher Education.
Read more
Humanities and Arts necessary to guide technological development
The Arts and the Humanities play a significant role in fostering economic prosperity and enhancing wellbeing alongside STEM research, asserts the Senior Vice President for Research at Pennsylvania State University Andrew Read.
Read more
Universities Accord Bill explainer
Professor Andrew Norton, a speaker at our upcoming conference, has written a series of explainer articles on how the new Commonwealth supported student funding system will operate if the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 is passed in his blog Australian Higher Education Policy.
Read more
More than half of university tutorials double the ideal size
A National Tertiary Education Union survey of more than 4000 university staff has found that tutorials are often double the ideal size. Student support and engagement has decreased since 2019, writes Sally Rawsthorne for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Read more (paywall)
Humanities Travelling Fellowships announced
The Australian Academy of the Humanities has announced the eight outstanding early-career researchers who will receive 2026 Humanities Travelling Fellowships. Their projects address issues of national and international significance.
Read more
Aotearoa government plan defunds basic science
Defunding basic research risks starving the country’s deep-technology startups before they begin, writes Dr Nicola Gaston for the newsroom in a comment on the Aotearoa government’s changes to science funding.
Read more
Female graduates earn less than their male peers
In analysis of the 2025 Graduate Outcome Survey, Leonora Risse reports for The Conversation that female graduates earn less than their male peers because they are afforded less opportunity and are more likely to compromise on pay for flexibility.
Read the article
Opportunities
Call for submissions: The 2026 Conference for the Social Sciences | He kai kei aku ringa
Hosted by the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2026 Conference for the Social Sciences | He kai kei aku ringa will be held at Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland from Wednesday 2 – Friday 4 December. This inaugural conference offers a way of thinking about knowledge as sustenance and welcomes scholars from the social sciences and related disciplines.
Submissions due 31 August.
Find out more
Shaping Australia Awards
Universities Australia is calling for entries to the 2026 Shaping Australia Awards, to recognise the people, programs and research helping to shape Australia’s future. The awards celebrate excellence in three categories: teaching, research and community service.
Submit your entry by 1 September.
Read more
dassh Events
Annual Conference: The Future-Facing University
Tuesday 15 – Friday 18 September
Melbourne
Kicking off with a welcome reception on the evening of Tuesday 15 September, the DASSH conference is a must-attend event for Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities leaders in Australia and Aotearoa. The conference program will consist of keynotes, panels and participatory sessions.
View the program
dassh Networks
If you are interested in joining any of our working groups or Communities of Practice events, please reach out to us at office@dassh.edu.au.
Teaching and Learning Network:
Managing student grievances
Friday 21 August
12pm (AEST) / 2pm (NZST)
Online
The August Teaching and Learning gathering explores emerging issues and institutional responses to complex matters. We will be joined by three panellists across Australia and Aotearoa who will engage with members on practical approaches to managing grievances in higher education.
Find out more
Australian events
UN / BOUND Festival
Thursday 13 – Friday 14 August
Brisbane, Online
The Creative Arts Research Institute at Griffith University invites audiences to engage with creative research across performance, technology, and social innovation at the UN / BOUND festival. Spanning online, planetarium, and on-campus events, the festival brings together artists, researchers, and communities to explore how creativity can reshape the future.
Read more
Higher Education Summit: Degrees of Change
Tuesday 18 August
Sydney
Moderated by the Financial Review’s journalists, the 2026 Higher Education Summit will bring together university leaders, policymakers and global experts to consider the issues facing the sector.
Find out more
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Thursday 20 – Sunday 30 August
Sydney
Presented by the Ethics Centre, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas invites local and international experts from a diverse range of disciplines take to the stage to bring to light different perspectives on the most divisive issues we face. The program includes talks, art, film and excursions.
View the program
The Education-Focused Creative Practice Researcher Webinar
Friday 21 August
1-2pm AEST
Online
The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA) invites participation in this webinar showcasing innovative approaches to staying active as an artist and researcher whilst in teaching-intensive roles. Chaired by Associate Professor Andrew Lavery.
Register here
Australian Council of Deans of Science Yarning Circle
Monday 31 August
10.30am-2.30pm
Sydney
The Australian Council of Deans of Science have invited DASSH members to participate in a Yarning Circle led by Professor Kelly Menzel and hosted by Professor Megan Smith. The Yarning Circle provides a culturally safe space for university leaders to come together to listen to, learn from, and reflect on First Nations perspectives on education and research. If you or colleagues are interested, please RSVP to the DASSH office by this Thursday, 13 August.
Email us
ACSES Policy Symposium 2026: The Evolving Student in Higher Education
Tuesday 8 September – Wednesday 9 September
Online
This two-day event will explore how the profile, needs, and experiences of students are changing and what this means for policy, practice, and funding in Australian higher education. Access to the livestream is free, but registration is required.
Read more
International College for Arts Deans Leadership Development Program
Various dates across September, October and November
Online
A multi-session, online model of ICfAD leadership development that integrates values-based leadership theory, structured mentoring conversations, and sustained reflection. The Council invites participants and is also seeking experienced deans to act as mentors for the program.
Read more
Early-to-Mid Career Researcher Conference
Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 November
The University of Wollongong (Wollongong Campus)
This national conference is committed to championing and elevating the next generation of academics and researchers. The conference includes three sub-themes: Human, Environmental and Biological Health; Education, Policy and Social Transformation, and Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainable Futures. Abstract submissions close Wednesday, 12 August. Early bird registration ends Monday, 21 September 2026.
Read more
Aotearoa Events
Question time: Lecture by Kimberly Moutlon
Wednesday 19 August
Artspace Aotearoa, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Hear international curator and writer Dr Kimberly Moulton introduce her curatorial work through the lens ‘which history?’ In this talk, Dr Moulton will share perspectives drawn from her practice working across contemporary art, museums, and Indigenous cultural contexts.
Read more
He Pito Mata 2026
Thursday 10 September – Friday 11 September
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
The Royal Society Te Apārangi will host a two day event for emerging and early-career researchers from across Aotearoa in Tāmaki Makaurau. Connect with other emerging leaders to tackle key issues: how to secure funding, outsmart artificial intelligence, protect data sovereignty, and achieve goals for research impact.
Read more
The 2026 Conference for the Social Sciences | He kai kei aku ringa
Wednesday 2 – Friday 4 December
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Hosted by the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2026 Conference for the Social Sciences | He kai kei aku ringa will offer a way thinking about knowledge as sustenance.
Read more