In recent months there has been a lot of news on the Higher Ed front.

Read on for:

• UWA is moving into India with campuses in Mumbai and Chennai
• The latest, always controversial, university rankings – where does UWA stand?
• Federal Government initiatives to help 'fix university funding'
• A new book arguing that Australia's university system is broken
• Matilda Bay ferry
• University mergers in WA?

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心糖vlog免費版在線觀看免費 (UWA) will become the first of Australia's Group of Eight universities to establish a physical campus in India, with approvals in the India's Universities Grants Commission granted for locations in first Mumbai and then Chennai. The campuses will offer courses in science, engineering, technology, and business, maintaining the same academic standards as UWA's Perth campus.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma highlighted the move as a step toward deeper academic and strategic ties with India, supported by existing collaborations in fields such as agriculture and business.

Four other universities including the University of Aberdeen, the University of York, Illinois Institute of Technology and Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy) have also been given approval to set up independent campuses in India.

The announcement was made at a high-profile ceremony in Mumbai, part of the 'Mumbai Rising: Creating an International Education City' event. In a move to transform Maharashtra into a global education hub, Those in Mumbai will establish separate campuses over 250 acres in an area known as "EduCity" close to the future Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Guy Littlefair, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, said in an ABC radio interview, "We've had long engagements in India, a number of significant research partnerships and other academic and industry partnerships and this is really just a natural extension for us to develop. We are the Group of Eight university in the west of Australia and we've always had an interest in the Indo-Pacific so this is just a wonderful opportunity for us to engage in a more significant way."

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Rankings always attract some controversy. Are they an accurate measure of a university? There are number of different rankings. each with advantages and disadvantages.

UWA has generally found that the QS World University Rankings provides a broad coverage of the quality of most important aspects of a university's role. Amongst the indicators used in the QS ranking are academic ranking, employer reputation, faculty student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, international research network, and employment outcomes and sustainability.

It should be noted that the past twelve months have been tumultuous for many Australian universities, with financial problems, staff redundancies, and politisation and uncertainty around international student enrolments and this is reflected in the latest rankings.

Despite a broader decline among Australian institutions, with 25 out of 36 dropping in rank, UWA held its global position at 77th and improved its employer reputation score. It is also notable that the merger of The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia have enabled the new Adelaide University to gain a place amongst the world's top 100 universities.

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An important new book, Broken Universities, Politics and the Public Good, by Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies, Graeme Turner AO, investigating the state of Australian universities, was released on 1 July 2025.

Author of more than 30 books on aspects of Australian culture, past president of the Academy of Humanities, Turner also served on many federal committees on higher education and research and is widely respected in both academic and government.

According to the book's blurb, "he provides a reality check for those who imagine the academic life is one of privilege and leisure, laying bare the enormous challenges and lack of hope experienced by many in academia. He unearths the foundations of this crisis, then explains how the solution lies in an overhaul of the one-size-fits-all approach to university funding, the establishment of genuine full-time career paths, and the formation of an independent body to ensure our university system serves the national interest in both teaching and research, rather than the ferocious competitiveness of the marketplace." "Above all," Turner is quoted as saying, "we need to jettison the current economic focus on education, and re-embrace the idea that higher learning is a fundamental public good—and should be funded as such."

The book is reviewed in The Conversation by Susan Forde, Professor of Media and Journalism at Griffiths University.

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The WA Government has announced that it has chosen Matilda Bay and Applecross as the first locations for new ferry terminals along the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River).

The Matilda Bay ferry terminal is to be located in central Matilda Bay. Government sources advise that the site was one of five considered in the area by the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) Maritime team and the Public Transport Authority. The location was identified through an assessment of waterway and marine safety, heritage and environment, water and land use, and connectivity, with independent marine safety consultants providing advice that a ferry stop in this location can safely operate alongside existing users.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the sites were selected due to their high population density and proximity to 心糖vlog免費版在線觀看免費, would serve student commuters, reduce pressure on existing transport and boost tourism.

A reference group, which is to include key water user groups within the Matilda Bay and Applecross areas, will be invited to provide ongoing advice to ensure that appropriate controls and measures are in place so that Matilda Bay can be shared safely by all users.

Construction of the Matilda Bay terminal will include an upgrade to landscaping and existing public toilets, a new roundabout and pedestrian crossing, and bus bays on Hackett Drive. Current bus services will be reviewed to ensure connectivity.

A development application for the two new terminals is to be submitted and the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage will seek public comment for up to 21 days as part of the review. For more information see "UWA ferry terminal location confirmed as ferry expansion gears up".

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News was announced on 27 July that the WA State government has established a committee to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of university mergers. This follows in the wake of the 2023 WA Universities Review plus the recent merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Tony Buti, the Minister for Education, recently visited Adelaide to meet with key figures involved in that merger. His comment on the WA situation was that "We are standing on the edge of our State's next major economic, social and cultural transformation… As . . . the engine room of our national economy we need to grasp this significant moment."

The committee will be led by Alannah McTiernan (former Minister for Planning), Lisa Rodgers (former Director General of the WA Dept of Education) and Emeritus Professor Bruce Walker AM (Murdoch University). Ms McTiernan stated that the committee will build on the 2023 Review, saying "We share the view that universities play a pivotal role in creating opportunity and progress in our community and we need to ensure they are setup for success."

Our Vice Chancellor, Professor Amit Chakma, has issued a statement to staff, saying that UWA's response to the 2023 Review was that UWA "wanted what was best for the State, aligned with our founding mission to advance the prosperity and welfare of our communities through providing world-class education, research and community engagement." For further background information see https://www.uwa.edu.au/about/leadership-and-governance/strategy-and-values/university-sector-review.

There has been a swirl of media commentary. Would the rankings of WA universities improve as a result of a merger? Aggregated data from University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia (ranked 340th) resulted in a combined ranking of 82, the same as Adelaide's previous ranking. What about Edith Cowan University, which opens its new campus in the city in February 2026? There have been suggestions that it will be excluded from any merger. The Editor of the West Australian concluded, "Like banks before them, universities must combine for better results."