Australian Government Accord for Higher Education Reform: An Honest Response from a Passionate Academic

S A Hamed Hosseini

Do national accords aimed at addressing public sector issues lead to substantive changes? I asked myself when I saw the Australian government (under Labor) unveiling their latest accord for higher education reform.

In the context of higher education in Australia, as in many other countries, profound restructuring has occurred since the adoption of neoliberal policies in the 80s, resulting in the disempowerment of staff and students and the corporatization of its institutions. Ironically, many of these changes were championed by the same party (of center-left), raising skepticism about their intent to tackle these challenges. Historically, such accords from left and right conservative parties have failed to bring about structural shifts that defy the grip of capital, the bedrock of the economy, and the root cause of socio-ecological crises including the crisis of higher education and the rest of the public service sector.

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