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 our Research and Engagement Officer Ellen Kirkpatrick.
News from dassh
Conference tickets on sale
Ticket sales are open for our upcoming annual conference on 24 – 25 September in Sydney. Tickets are limited and we are expecting to sell out so please ensure you register as soon as possible. Please see our website for more details about speakers, the program and complimentary tickets.
Ticket sales close on Sunday 14 September.
Fifteen Deans Councils meet
Last month DASSH helped bring together 15 of Australasia’s 17 deans councils for the first time. Presidents and Executive Directors met in Sydney for a half day meeting where we agreed our organisations have many shared interests. There were four main themes to emerge that are common to all disciplines.
- Increasing government intervention in higher education
- Eroding public trust in universities
- The importance of Indigenising curriculum
- Concerns about early career researcher pathways and remuneration
This was a fantastic opportunity to figure out where we are aligned, how we can support each other in areas specific to certain disciplines and find ways to improve our governance and administration. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with this group!
Upcoming Essential Insights webinar
Social Cohesion
Wednesday 20 August
12pm-1pm (AEST)
Online
We are headed to the front lines of developing a pan-university Antiracism Commitment. Join Professor Heather Zwicker, DASSH President, Executive Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Campus Culture at The University of Queensland for this critical discussion.
Around the traps
Economic Reform Roundtable announced for August
The Economic Reform Roundtable led by the Treasurer is taking place in late August to build consensus around reforms to make the economy more productive, build resilience and make the budget more sustainable. The roundtable is informed by the work of the Productivity Commission (PC) which is conducting five productivity inquiries.
The fourth of five interim reports by the PC on building a skilled and adaptable workforce released this week acknowledges the role higher education plays in meeting skills demands. It recommends ATEC play a role in system-wide reform of credit transfers and recognition of prior learning. The report proposes three key policy reform areas for improving an adaptable workforce.
The Productivity Commission is now seeking additional input for the final report. Further feedback is invited through written submission until 15 September.
Read more on the productivity inquiries
Read more about the roundtable
New Australian Research Council Advisory Committee announced
DASSH welcomes the establishment of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Advisory Committee and its focus on helping deliver funding to research that has maximum impact for the Australian community. This focus creates space for investment in Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities research and innovative interdisciplinary collaborations.
Find out more
Research funding fragmentation
John Ross writes in Times Higher Education that Universities Australia has recommended a ministerial research council to review to rebalance over 150 research funding programmes across five federal portfolios.
Read more (paywall)
HECS cuts have passed the Senate
Labor’s election pledge to cut student loans by 20% has become the first piece of legislation enacted by the re-elected government. Shalailah Medhora writes in ABC News that student groups, industry groups and independent politicians are still calling on the government to reform how fees are structured.
Read more
Labor MPs urge government to prioritise JRG reform
Labor MPs have told Krishani Dhanji and Tom McIlroy from The Guardian that reform of the Job-Ready Graduates scheme should be a priority in Labor’s second term of government.
Read here
Australia and Aotearoa join forces to negotiate open access deals
Universities Australia and Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara are taking a unified position in upcoming negotiations with Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis to pursue more sustainable, equitable and transparent agreements that deliver better value for the public investment in research.
Read Universities Australia statement
Open letter to the Prime Minister: Job-Ready Graduates
More than 100 high-profile signatories with Bachelor of Arts degrees have signed an open letter by the Australian Historical Association urging the government to abolish the Job-Ready Graduates Package and establish an equitable university system.
Read letter
Further cuts to fundamental research in Aotearoa
In an open letter to the Aotearoa Prime Minister, Royal Society Te Apārangi raise concerns over further reduction to the Marsden Fund from 2028/2029 with a 29% cut over three years. They are concerned this will undermine the long-term potential of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology.
Read more
University graduates aren’t “work-ready”
Jobs and Skills Australia Commissioner Barney Glover talks to Steve Austin at the ABC about how universities are failing to produce “work-ready” graduates following a recent article by Natasha Bita at The Australian.
Listen now
Productivity Commission floats AI copyright exemptions
One of the five Productivity Commission inquiries ahead of the Economic Reform Roundtable floated a text and data mining exception for the Australian Copyright Act. Alice Grundy writes in The Conversation that creatives and their industry bodies have opposed the exception saying it will preference multinational companies over local industries.
Read report
Read more on industry response
ChatGPT ‘study mode’ feature encourages critical thinking
Juliette Rowsell writes in Times Higher Education that OpenAI has launched a new ‘study mode’ feature on Chat GPT to encourage cognitive learning. This is in response to concerns that AI is damaging education.
Imagine 2035: towards an arts and culture system that delivers for all Australians
A New Approach has released a position paper that outlines two practical actions that governments can take now to secure Australia’s place as a cultural powerhouse by 2035. It calls for a new National Arts and Culture Strategy and identifies six priority agenda items focused on cultural access and creative industries.
Understanding Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities graduates
The British Academy presents new analysis of educational outcomes data to better understand the trajectories of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and Economy (SHAPE) graduates. A key finding is that the percentage of SHAPE graduates working in the top three growth sectors has risen.
Read more
Opportunities
Call for papers: re-defining open social scholarship in an age of AI generative ‘intelligence’
There is an invitation for abstracts for longer presentations (15-20 minutes) and lightning talks (5-10 minutes) for the seventh annual conference of the Canadian Australian Partnership for Open Scholarship (CAPOS) running in Canberra in December.
Submissions accepted before 2 September.
Find out more
Educator hope in higher education survey
A group of researchers from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University are undertaking a national survey exploring how tertiary educators in Aotearoa understand and apply hope in their teaching practice. This anonymous survey takes approximately 15 minutes.
Take part now
Shaping Australia Awards
The Shaping Australia awards celebrate the work of the people working in Australia’s universities for producing groundbreaking research, helping communities and shaping skilled workers. Entries are now open for the Problem Solver Award, Future Builder Award and the Community Champion Award.
Entries open until 5 September 2025.
Find out more
dassh Events
Essential Insights series
Register now for the 2025 Essential Insights online webinar series.
Social Cohesion
Wednesday 20 August
12pm – 1pm (AEST)
Online
2025 Policy Wrap-Up
Wednesday 19 November
12pm – 1pm (AEST)
Online
dassh Networks
Associate Deans (Research) Community of Practice
The Community of Practice is comprised of Associate Deans (Research) across member institutions. The group meets regularly to discuss spotlighted topics, share resources and guidance for addressing common challenges.
Remember: ADRs are warmly invited to attend both the Aotearoa and Australian events! There is huge value in hearing from your colleagues on either side of the Tasman.
Cross-disciplinary and Inter-University Collaborations
Tuesday 9 September
10am – 11am (AEST)
Online
Balancing Research Expectations
Tuesday 4 November
10am -11am (AEST)
Online
Implications of De-Casualisation
Thursday 27 November
12pm – 1pm (AEST)
Online
Australian Events
Social Sciences Week
Monday 8 September – Sunday 14 September
Hybrid & multiple locations
Academy of Social Sciences in Australia
Social Sciences week is an annual initiative of several Australian social science associations that celebrates and showcases the diverse range of social sciences disciplines and research in Australia. A range of events and activities are held across Australia including seminars, lectures, workshops and panel discussions. These events cover a broad range of topics and themes, from politics and economics to sociology and psychology, and are designed to spark meaningful conversations and debates about key social issues.
Early Career Researcher Conference
Tuesday 4 November – Thursday 6 November
University of Wollongong
The inaugural Early Career Researcher (ECR) conference invites ECRs and academics from all Australian institutions to participate. The conference offers workshops, mentorship and collaborative opportunities with peers, senior academics and industry professionals.
Register now
Humanities and Creative Practice Symposium
Thursday 13 – Friday 14 November
University of Technology, Sydney
Australian Academy of Humanities
The Australian Academy of Humanities 56th annual symposium will foreground the vital role of creative practice in Australian social, cultural and economic life. The two-day program features keynote lectures and discussion panels.
Find out more