Livestream registration open | ACSES Policy Symposium 2026: The Evolving Student in Higher Education

Dear colleagues,

The ACSES national Policy Symposium will convene national leaders and stakeholders in tertiary education this September in Brisbane to discuss how to make higher learning more attainable for all Australians. The event will also be accessible via livestream nationwide. 

This year's Symposium is hosted in collaboration with Griffith University from 8–9 September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The ACSES Policy Symposium 2026 will bring together higher education executives, policymakers, international experts, and diverse student voices with a focus on practical, evidence-based approaches to improving equity and student outcomes.

This year’s Symposium theme is "The Evolving Student in Higher Education", and will spur conversations on how the profile, needs, and experiences of students are changing—across study modes, life stages, identities, and economic context—and what this means for policy, practice, and funding in Australian higher education.

The program will feature influential speakers from across the sector, including:

• The Hon. Jason Clare MP, Commonwealth Minister for Education (via video recording)
• Professor Stephen Duckett, ATEC Commissioner
• Professor Verity Firth AM, Vice-President Societal Impact Equity and Engagement, UNSW
• Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, UQ
• Professor Kerri-Lee Krause, Chief Commissioner, TEQSA
• Julian Leeser, Shadow Minister for Education (via video recording)
• Damian Miller, Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity
• The Hon. Fiona Nash, ATEC Commissioner
• Professor Karen Nelson, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students and Education, WSU
• Luke Sheehy, CEO, Universities Australia
• Distinguished Professor George Williams AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, WSU
• and student speakers from diverse backgrounds.

The event will also feature two major highlights:

• the official launch of Equity Insights 2026—ACSES’s flagship annual publication, featuring contributions from Vice-Chancellors, student leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community advocates about fairer higher education outcomes
• the ACSES Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Impact on Higher Education Policy and Practice 2026—celebrating outstanding individuals and initiatives making transformative differences for students from diverse backgrounds.

We look forward to having you join the important discussions on the day.

Kind regards,
Professor Ian Li SFHEA
Director of Research and Policy Program Director & Symposium Convenor
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success