Kpmg Talking Tertiary

Stephen Parker is interviewed by Geraldine Doogue for a segment that originally appeared on ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra program on 23 May 2020.    Stephen and Geraldine discuss the challenges universities are facing and how this may signal the end of the golden age of university growth. They also explore the idea that the pandemic has accelerated the overdue structural reform the sector so desperately needs.    Visit: KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

In this episode of Talking Tertiary, Stephen Parker is joined by Junyi Zhao, who is the National Undergraduate Officer for the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) as well as Bachelor of Accounting student at LaTrobe University in Victoria. CISA is the national peak student representative organisation for international students and advocates for the interests and needs of international students in Australia.  Stephen and Junyi discuss the unique challenges faced by international students through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the positive steps CISA has taken to support students through this challenging time while preparing them for the future. They also talk about the ways in which technology will change higher education delivery into the future as well as altering the expectations of the students of the future.  For more information about the CISA, visit their website: cisa.edu.au   If you would like further information about our series visit KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkin

In this episode of Talking Tertiary, Stephen Parker is joined by Molly Willmott, President of the National Union of Students (NUS). The NUS is the peak representative body advocating for the rights of students across Australia. The NUS aims to positively impact the lives of students by campaigning for an accessible and equitable education system that creates opportunities and expands job prospects for young people. Stephen and Molly discuss the issues facing students generally but also the ways in which COVID-19 has disproportionately affected students and young people and what this disruption means for the short and long-term future of the student experience. As well as student welfare, Stephen and Molly discuss what the degree of the future might look like and how the definition of a typical degree may change with the evolving workforce requirements. For more information about the NUS, visit their website: www.nus.asn.au If you would like further information about our series visit KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiar

Stephen Parker is joined by Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, Acting President of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) which is a national network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduate students, non-Indigenous student supporters and Indigenous Elders and Alumni. NATSIPA's objective is to ensure that Indigenous Australians can access postgraduate education in a fair and equitable manner and it enables this by valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders diverse cultures and histories and supporting their control over their own and their family’s education. In this episode Sharlene discusses her lifelong commitment to learning, she has a PhD in management from the University of Newcastle and is currently completing a graduate certificate in tertiary education, management and governance, and the importance of advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander post-graduate students at a national level. Sharlene and Stephen touch on the ways in which COVI

Stephen Parker is joined by Bruce Lines, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Services & Resources at University of Adelaide to discuss the role of the modern COO when it comes to disruption. Prior to his current role at the University of Adelaide, Bruce held a range of generalist student and academic administrative roles which have shaped his career. Stephen and Bruce discuss how the role of the COO has evolved from the traditional senior professional staff of the past to today’s COOs who find themselves focusing more on the commercial aspects of the university business. Visit: KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

Stephen Parker is joined by Edwin Van Rest who is the CEO and co-founder and of Studyportals. As Australia is Studyportals' 5th biggest destination market, Stephen spoke to Edwin at the Universities Australia conference in Canberra in late February 2020. Edwin is an industrial engineer with a passion for education and travel who co-founded Studyportals 10 years ago.   The mission of Studyportals is to ‘empower the world to choose education’ through global education transparency, choice, and access across borders. In 2019 the company had 37 million unique student users and 140,000 confirmed enrolments so the business is growing rapidly.   This fascinating interview was recorded just prior to the coronavirus being declared a pandemic and as such Stephen and Edwin touch on this subject as well as other major disruptive forces which will displace students and interrupt the normal higher education processes.   More information about Studyportals can be found on their website: www.studyportals.com   Visit: KPMG.com

Prof Stephen Parker talks to Mathew Jacobson, Founder and CEO of Ducere Global Business School at the Universities Australia Conference which took place in Canberra in late February 2020. Mat has spent his career in Ed-Tech, having founded two prior education startups that were later sold to public companies. Ducere Global Business School is Matt's third education venture.   Ducere was founded off the back of the disconnect between the lecture hall on a campus and the skills that individuals need to do a job in the workplace. Mat set out to deliver a student-focused and industry-relevant business school that partners with established universities in delivering internationally recognised qualifications.   More information about Ducere Global Business School can be found on their website https://www.ducere.edu.au   Visit: KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

In episode 4 of Season 2 Professor Stephen Parker talks to Jack Goodman, Founder and Executive Chair of Studiosity. Founded 15 years ago, Studiosity works alongside universities by providing 24/7 on-demand study help and feedback to students all over the globe. The vision of the company is to provide online academic study support to students regardless of their geographic or socio-economic circumstance. It allows higher education providers to give their students confidence, produce more thoughtful work and to be better prepared.More information about Studiosity can be found on their website.Visit: KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

Professor Stephen Parker talks to David Bowser, the CEO and Founder of Curio. This interview was recorded before COVID-19 became a pandemic, and before universities moved to put as much of their teaching as possible online. What David Bowser predicts as a future Business As Usual for universities, is turning into a Business As Now. David Bowser is a neuroscientist and was an academic at Melbourne and Cambridge University before moving into consulting, where he was a Principal and the Education Sector lead at Nous Group. Founded in 2016, Curio is an education consulting, learning design and platform development business with the aim of bringing together the creative and curious for human improvement driven through the power of education. Curio disrupts universities from within by working with their academics and subject matter experts to design and deliver online experiences, scale rapidly and develop products that are needed in the market within months, not years. More information about Curio can be found on

In episode two of season two of KPMG’s Talking Tertiary Professor Stephen Parker AO talks with Professor Claire Macken of RMIT University. Claire has had a career-long connection with education. After starting as a Legal Academic at Deakin University she then moved into roles such as Pro Vice Chancellor, Future Learning and Innovation at LaTrobe University and four years at Apple as their Higher Education Strategy Lead. Claire also spent time at KPMG in the Education Consultancy. In this podcast Stephen and Claire discuss how technology has disrupted the traditional players in a number of industries and big names have disappeared while new entrants have become household names quite quickly. Claire shares her thoughts on the responsiveness of the education sector to disruption and how the changing landscape of the industry will force universities to analyse their vital and ongoing role in society.  Visit: KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary or email us at talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

KPMG’s Talking Tertiary is back with a second season in which we will be talking to 'The Disruptors' – the people leading change in the new market entrants and within the traditional institutions. In the first episode of Season 2 Professor Stephen Parker AO talks with Beverley Oliver, Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University. Beverley is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Australian National Teaching Fellow. She works as a higher education consultant and researcher particularly in areas such as digital education, micro-credentials, curriculum transformation, quality assurance and graduate employability. She is the founder and editor of the Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability.   Prior to this Beverley was Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education at Deakin University (2013-2018), Deputy Chair of Universities Australia’s Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Academic) (2018) and Deputy Chair of the Board of EduGrowth, a not-for-profit entity and Australia’s acceleration network

In this bonus episode of KPMG’s Talking Tertiary podcast Professor Stephen Parker AO reflects on Season 1 and picks out some of its central themes with highlights from the interviewees. Some of the main themes include: the divide between Higher Education and Vocational Education quality in the Vocational Education sector the scale and growth of international education in Australia the effects of digital transformation on the tertiary education sector. We’ll be back in early 2020 with Season 2 ‘The Disruptors’ – the people leading change in the new market entrants and within the traditional institutions. Find out more Talking Tertiary:  KPMG.com/au/talkingtertiary Email us talkingtertiary@kpmg.com.au

In this, the final episode for 2019 of KPMG’s Talking Tertiary podcast series, Professor Stephen Parker AO talks with Professor Glyn Davis AC. Glyn is one of Australia's leading higher education figures known not only for his work in higher education, but in public policy and government more generally. For nearly 14 years he was the Vice Chancellor at the University of Melbourne, moving there from his position as Vice Chancellor of Griffith University. He has various roles including as a distinguished professor at the ANU's Crawford school of public policy and CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Stephen and Glyn cover a range of issues facing tertiary education including: the key education policy changes and their impact over the last fifteen years, the Australian university landscape, international students and the potential disruptors to higher education provision. They also discuss the role of the Paul Ramsay Foundation in tackling disadvantage and insights from Glyn’s current academic roles. We’ll be back

Professor Stephen Parker talks with Professor Peter Dawkins AO, the Vice Chancellor and President of Victoria University. Peter has held this role since 2011 and previously held senior positions in the Victorian public service including Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury and Finance and Secretary of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. They discuss a range of issues including the innovative teaching approach called The Block model and the broader challenges and opportunities facing the Tertiary Education system in Australia.

This extended episode of Talking Tertiary comes from an event held by CEDA in Perth on 4 September 2019, the Western Australia Vice-Chancellor Panel which was moderated by Professor Stephen Parker. The panelists were Professor Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor, Curtin University, Professor Selma Alliex, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Head of Fremantle Campus, University of Notre Dame Australia, Professor Steve Chapman, Vice-Chancellor and President, Edith Cowan University, Professor Eeva Leinonen, Vice-Chancellor, Murdoch University and Professor Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor, University of Western Australia.

Prof Stephen Parker talks with Linda Brown the CEO of Laureate Australia & New Zealand and President of Torrens University Australia. Linda has a long background in education and training including Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Director of TAFE at Swinburne University in Melbourne. Stephen and Linda discuss the contrast between public and private institutions and how the role of private tertiary education may develop in the future.

In this episode Prof Stephen Parker talks with Dr Stephanie Fahey, the Chief Executive Officer of The Australian Trade and Investment Commission or Austrade. Austrade is the the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting trade, investment and international education, and tourism policy, programs and research. International education is now Australia’s third largest export, it employees about 240,000 people and one in 50 people in Australia is an international student. Stephen and Stephanie talk about the opportunities, risks and challenges related to international education including the its capacity to absorb growth, diversifying the range of countries where students come from and where and how they study tertiary education once in Australia.  

Prof Stephen Parker talks with Prof Rufus Black, the Vice Chancellor at the University of Tasmania about what it means to be a placed-based university.

In this episode Professor Stephen Parker talks with Professor Carolyn Evans, the Vice Chancellor at Griffith University about her emerging vision for the university and the challenges she expects to face.

Prof Stephen Parker talks with Anthony McClaran, CEO of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). They discuss the evolving higher education landscape in Australia, the changing nature of international education and how regulation can support innovation in the sector as new pressures emerge.