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Stephen Matchett

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commentaryHigher Education

Tired or bored puppy dog. Pet themed concept for graduation celebration, training, academic certifications, diplomas or studying. Selective focus.

A new uni watchdog is coming – with a 1970s Whitlam ideology

Legislation to establish the Australian Tertiary Education Commission is expected in parliament this week and with-it Education Minister Jason Clare goes the Gough, the whole Gough and nothing but the Gough.

Stephen Matchett

COMMENTARYHigher Education

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, welcomes Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to Kirribilli House in Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Picture: NewsWire / Hollie Adams / POOL

The language of loss: the vital uni subject we need but the one nobody will study

Australia’s failure to invest in Asian language education threatens vital regional relationships and national security as Indonesian course enrolments plummet to levels below those of 50 years ago.

Stephen Matchett

Tertiary gambleHigher Education

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos 14, July, 2023: ADELAIDE GENERICS - University of Adelaide on North Terrace. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Chaotic new uni that few wanted may be a blueprint for future

Two universities will vanish next month to create one mega-institution, but exhausted staff fear the rushed transformation could lead to chaos.

Stephen Matchett

CommentaryHigher Education

Check List Note Pad with Dollar Sign on Chalkboard Background - 3D Rendering; money generic

The research grants that help very few Australians

The Australian Research Council has handed out hundreds of millions in research grants, but questions remain over whether the public is getting value for money.

Stephen Matchett

commentaryHigher Education

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Mark Scott AO and Kevin McCann AO photographed at the ceremony. Image shared online in 2022. Image Credit: The University of Sydney.

New pay rules a well-earned slap in the chops for our uni fat cats

Why are these people paid more than our Prime Minister? Now chancellors have been publicly humiliated for ignoring popular opinion, universities will need a formula for setting vice-chancellor pay.

Stephen Matchett

CommentaryHigher Education

This undated handout photo received from the University of Melbourne on October 8, 2025 shows UK-born chemist Richard Robson posing at the university in Melbourne. Japan's Susumu Kitagawa, UK-born Richard Robson and American-Jordanian Omar Yaghi on October 8 won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing metalâorganic frameworks (MOFs) that can be used to capture carbon dioxide and harvest water from desert air, among other things. (Photo by Handout / University of Melbourne / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT

What unis could learn from our 88-year-old Nobel Prize winner

While Richard Robson’s win proves the value of curiosity-driven research, bureaucrats are demanding studies show instant results.

Stephen Matchett

CommentaryHigher Education

Australian money finance education graduation

Old, rich and ‘elite’: trading on reputations long out of date

Now where do people get the idea that universities are big, rich and out of touch? Perhaps from self-promoting members of the Group of Eight. The truth about their wealth and performance.

Stephen Matchett

commentaryCommentary

Side view of person with graduation cap on dark background with mathematical formulas. Artificial intelligence and education concept. 3D Rendering

Artificial intelligence is rewriting campus rule book

As universities rush to adopt AI technology, experts warn the greatest risk isn’t student cheating or job losses – it’s the potential collapse of traditional credentials.

Stephen Matchett

CommentaryHigher Education

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos MARCH 11, 2021: Sydney University. The Department of Home Affairs made the warning to an inquiry into national security threats to the university sector. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

To rebuild public trust, step out of ivory tower and work for community

A damning new poll reveals Australians’ growing distrust in universities, as leaders scramble to prove their institutions’ worth beyond academic rankings.

Stephen Matchett

CommentaryHigher Education

CANBERRA, Australia - NewsWire Photos - September 20, 2024: Australian National University (ANU) Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Genevieve Bell appears at the second inquiry into antisemitism at universities at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

ANU case rings a warning over power and cash

Australian National University staff’s successful campaign to oust the vice-chancellor has created a blueprint for academics nationwide to seize control of university management.

Stephen Matchett

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/stephen-matchett