Australian Universities Accord Discussion Paper April 2023

The Northern Australia Universities Alliance (NAUA) is developing place-based solutions for the development and prosperity of Northern Australia. NAUA welcomes the Universities Accord proposals as a pathway to realise the opportunity presented by the demographic profile of Northern Australia.

Complementing individual submissions from our members, NAUA suggests that the final Accord Panel recommendations could be enhanced by noting:

1. The opportunity for mission-based compacts to live educational attainment in Northern Australia and that the NAUA provides the capacity to support this agenda. (Serving Our Communities, Collaborative Delivery Arrangements)
2. First Nations participation needs to be place-based, rather than one-size-fits-all, to ensure there is no unintended outcomes across the diverse communities in the North. (Equity in participation, access, and opportunity)
3. The Panel needs to prioritise a future funding approach that effectively resolves the fundamental viability challenges for all regional universities (and particularly those in the North) to avoid terminal decline in this part of the sector (Sustainable Funding and Financing)

NAUA seeks to be an active partner in delivering the intended success of the Accord, providing a practical collaborative model for enhancing the impact and sustainability of the sector, and a mechanism for partnering with the Australian Government to achieve a wide range of public policy goals in Northern Australia.