La Trobe University is among the nine universities that have today launched the 2050 Alliance to build a better future for students and communities across Australia.
The Alliance is committed to achieving the national goal of increasing tertiary attainment to at least 80 per cent of the working-age population by 2050, to ensure that all Australians have the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills they will need for a brighter future. Reaching this target promises to add $240 billion to Australia's economy by 2050.
This national uplift will require expanding access to higher education for under-represented communities, supporting more students to succeed and sharing the knowledge and research that will power innovation.
Across Australia, the universities in the 2050 Alliance are embedded in the communities that will determine whether we achieve these national targets. There is no time to waste - the decisions we make today are essential for delivering intergenerational equity and productivity for future generations of Australians.
The Alliance was launched by Minister for Education the Hon Jason Clare MP, who said: "Almost one in two young people in their 20s and their 30s have a university degree today. But not everywhere. Not in our outer suburbs and not in regional Australia. The 2050 Alliance will help change that.
"The Universities Accord sets an ambitious target for 80 per cent of the workforce to have a tertiary qualification by 2050.
"2050 Alliance Universities are going to do a lot of heavy lifting in getting us there."
The founding members of the 2050 Alliance are La Trobe University, Australian Catholic University, Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, Murdoch University, University of Canberra, Victoria University and Western Sydney University.
Together, they currently teach more than 285,000 students across more than 65 campuses in inner city, suburban, regional and remote Australia.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said that the University's focus on equity and access, its significant regional footprint and its commitment to purposeful research that delivers impact, make La Trobe central to the collective effort of the 2050 Alliance.
"The 2050 Alliance matters because it brings together universities with a shared commitment to excellence, access and impact," Professor Farrell said.
"At La Trobe, that is embedded in our DNA. Our vision and mission are grounded in skills through equity - expanding access to higher education for students from under-represented backgrounds, including in regional Australia, while focusing our teaching and research on the areas that will shape the nation's future.
"Through our regional footprint and our research and industry partnerships, we are helping drive innovation, lift productivity and create opportunities in the many communities we serve. That is exactly the kind of contribution this alliance is designed to strengthen."
2050 Alliance CEO Paul Harris said that the work of the group would be characterised by constructive engagement with government to achieve long-lasting reform.
"We are already working with the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission on our shared goal of a bigger and fairer university system that sets Australia up for the future. Our Alliance will be a leading positive voice for higher education and research policy that benefits all Australians."
