Aiming Higher: Universities and the future of Australian Democracy

by George Williams

The time has come for a reckoning in the Australian higher education.
Decades of policy decisions have made access to higher education harder for those who need it most.


Public trust and community confidence in universities in Australia and overseas are at all-time lows.


Political sentiment has shifted. Our centres of higher learning have leapfrogged big business to become easy political targets. And it's no surprise; the sector has scored its fair share of own goals over the handling of staff underpayment, Vice-Chancellor salaries, antisemitism, free speech and safety on campus.


Ad hoc and insufficient government funding has forced universities down the path of corporatisation, drifting away from their role as public institutions with the mission to serve the public good.


Professor George Williams, drawing on his expertise in Australian constitutional law and democracy, outlines necessary changes to Australian higher education. Universities need to claim agency, tackle the issues within their control, and replace self-interest with a genuine commitment to putting their students and communities first. Without a reset the future looks grim. Our universities need to guard against misinformation and foster the next generation; the nation requires critical thinkers, researchers and innovators more than ever.

Genres: Nonfiction

69 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Luke Negri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Stephen Kibble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively accessible read about the university sector and higher education. Started strong with issues facing the sector and the failings within the university system. Sadly dropped off at the end and became a publicity and propaganda piece promoting the University of Western Sydney.

[Maha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former tertiary sector employee, this book didn’t “enlighten” me greatly - I left because of some of the problems Williams outlines in this book. Sadly, it only highlighted the “corporate” approach many universities adopt, coupled with ill-advised funding cuts imposed by successive Australian federal governments. I sincerely hope that innovative and assertive approaches are taken to improve things in the future. 🤞🏻

[MargCal · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
Finished reading ... Aiming Higher: Universities and Australia's Future / George Williams ... 28 January, 2026
Series: Vantage Point, Issue 3
ISBN: 9781763662179 .... 95 pp. incl. Endnotes

This runs through the downward spiral of tertiary education in Australia: the cuts in government funding, the consequent need for universities to raise funds and the inevitable corporatisation, with super-inflated managerial salaries to match. All resulting in cutting of staff, cutting of courses, cutting of educational standards and reliance on fees of overseas students who don't always have a sufficient grasp of English.

There was not much in the way of solutions offered with the author fairly heavily relying on how things were done at his university as the way forward – not a lot of research at what should have been the pointy end of the study.

Regarding student satisfaction, I was perturbed to read that universities should meet students where they're at. It read as adapting to students who 'attend' lectures online or dash onto campus for a lecture than dash off to their paid employment to stave off poverty while amassing crippling student debt. No suggestions for reverting to universities as places of learning where the learning itself is of value, not what salary any learning might get you.

Sadly, no improvements in the sector will be coming any time soon.

[James Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, if brief, overview of the history of Australian higher education funding and access.

But I found the arguments about current problems in the university sector confused at times.

For example, it’s claimed that research is only conducted as a way to boost rankings, in order to attract international students. But academics view research completely differently, and it also serves its own public purpose as well as benefiting students through what is taught.

As another example, the author alternates between blaming universities for pursuing international students to boost profits, but then accuses the government of hamstringing universities by cutting international student numbers.

[Olwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slim volume, yet an interesting perspective on the status of tertiary education in Australia and what led to the current difficulties the sector faces. The author is the vice chancellor of one particular university in Australia and takes several opportunities to spruik their own institution. A useful read.

[Mathilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beginning is ok, sums up sector's challenges and recent history. Second part is uninteresting, reads as a self-aggrandising promotional piece for author's university. Repeatedly states that students must come first, but fails to give practical examples of what that might look like.

[cindy henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's alarming what's happening and has already happened to higher education in Australia. This is an important book and those who have the power to affect change would do well to read this and consider the our future if nothing changes.