August 2026

Nothing about us, without us: Beyond the student panel.At this year’s HEDx Conference at UTS, students weren’t just attendees- they were embedded across the program, contributing to the hosting, and delivery of sessions. So what shifts when the student voice moves beyond the traditional panel format?In this episode, ⁠Student Voice Australasia⁠ speaks live with delegates on the ground- from vice chancellors to nursing students attending their very first conference- capturing a diverse range of perspectives on what it means to genuinely include students in spaces where decisions are made.Together, they explore the value students brought to the conversations and what changes when the student voice is not just heard, but meaningfully integrated into the discussions that matter most.

Episode 6 of The AI Inflection Point — and the last of four conversations on coalitions.
The previous three episodes asked why collaborate, whether partnerships can be transformational, and whether scale is the answer. This one asks something simpler: what does it actually look like when you do it?
Lou Conway built the Country University Centre network — 28 federated centres across regional Australia, where students can study with any provider that makes sense for them. No merger required. Bruce Lines led the integration office that created Adelaide University out of two institutions, and is honest about what worked and what didn’t. Belinda Tynan is navigating a region where coal mines are closing and the university has to respond. And Heather Margrison graduated from Adelaide Uni through the merger — and was part of the student panel that helped design it.
What comes out of this conversation isn’t a blueprint. It’s something more useful — a set of hard lessons from people who actually did it.

Episode 5 of The AI Inflection Point — the third of four conversations on coalitions.
Dan Greenstein has 35 years of data from the UK and the US. His conclusion is direct: scale is the primary hedge against financial unpredictability. In Australia, more than 40% of institutions have spent most of the last five years in deficit. Organic growth is too slow. And the policy window won\’t stay open indefinitely.
Noah Pickus joins to push on the tension that every leader in the room was thinking: does scale come at the cost of identity? Dan\’s answer might surprise you.