Wed 5 Nov 2025 17.00
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Poor governance, poor policy and decades of neoliberalism have broken Australia’s university sector, with devastating consequences for students and the country.
On this episode of Follow the Money, Richard Denniss and Ebony Bennett discuss the lack of accountability in Australia’s universities, why some institutions’ claims of financial crises aren’t supported by their auditors, and what Australians think about the state of the sector.
Aiming Higher: Universities and Australia’s future by Professor George Williams is available now via Australia Institute Press.
Guest: Richard Denniss, co-CEO, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett
Show notes:
Australians believe universities are too expensive and not doing their job: polling, the Australia Institute (November 2025)
There is no financial crisis at the University of Newcastle: new analysis, the Australia Institute (October 2025)
The ANU’s hidden $90m budget surplus, the Australia Institute (October 2025)
Failing the test: Australian universities in crisis, Follow the Money, the Australia Institute (May 2025)
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.
The problem with having pattern recognition is that you can always see the fires before they start. Governments are a bit like that, too. It’s not that they don’t see the fire before the smoke, it’s just they figure it will be someone else’s problem to deal with it by the time it’s all ablaze.
Author of Vulture Capitalism, Grace Blakeley, has told Australian consumers they need to stand up to the huge companies which dominate their way of life.
The arbiters of ethical public spending have an odd set of tools at their disposal, to judge by the dismal saga facing Anika Wells and Don Farrell, among others.
It’s the end of the year, which means things tend to be a lot looser than usual and emotions can run high.
