When the Australian Commonwealth was formed in 1901, the Constitution left education as a matter for the States and Australia had only a handful of tertiary institutions. However, as the nation grew to maturity the importance of having an educated populace grew with it. It was Menzies who first appreciated the central role that Australia’s universities could play in the national story, as he introduced Commonwealth Scholarships that gave widespread access to those with talent and ambition, and greatly increased funding to universities in a manner that would see the birth of many institutions which are now household names. Since Menzies’s time, universities have become an essential part of the Australian economy, but they face a wide array of challenges and may not be living up to the purpose he saw in them.

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Andrew Norton, an expert and researcher on Higher Education Policy.