What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector

Prof. Michelle Trudgett - Indigenous leadership, equity and excellence

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Prof. Michelle Trudgett, DVC Indigenous Leadership, Western Sydney University. Here are the links mentioned in the interview: * Know your worth: valuing Indigenous leadership positions in Australian higher education https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2026.2670000 [https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2026.2670000] * Indigenous Centre of Excellence at Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/western-growth/icoe [https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/western-growth/icoe] * Mother and three children embark on shared journey to becoming Indigenous doctors [https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/news-centre/stories/2026/mother-and-three-children-embark-on-shared-journey-to-becoming-indigenous-doctors] * IRU (now 2050 Alliance) analysis of the impact of Job-ready Graduates funding: https://iru.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Impacts-of-the-Job-Ready-Graduates-policy-and-options-for-reform-IRU-analysis.pdf [https://iru.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Impacts-of-the-Job-Ready-Graduates-policy-and-options-for-reform-IRU-analysis.pdf] * The GO Foundation: https://www.gofoundation.org.au [https://www.gofoundation.org.au] Contact Claire: * Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-field-and-associates/] * Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  [https://bsky.app/profile/clairefield.bsky.social] * Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au [https://clairefield.com.au] * Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au  The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au [http://www.johnbriggs.net.au/]

Alex White - why we need to focus on TAFE delivering on students' employment goals... and lots more

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Alex White, the CEO of the Victorian TAFE Association, to discuss a new research report and Alex's broader insights into VET and the public TAFE sector. The VTA's new TAFE Employment Outcomes report is available on their website: https://vta.vic.edu.au/employment-outcomes-report/ [https://vta.vic.edu.au/employment-outcomes-report/] Contact Claire: * Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-field-and-associates/] * Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  [https://bsky.app/profile/clairefield.bsky.social] * Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au [https://clairefield.com.au] * Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au  The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au [http://www.johnbriggs.net.au/]

Voyage's Matthew Donlon on what students are saying about Australia, about AI, and more

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by the founder and CEO of Voyage, Matthew Donlon, to discuss student perceptions of and questions about studying in Australia, how they are reacting to conflict and global uncertainty and what they want from institutions as AI reshapes the graduate jobs market. The Voyage website is: https://myvoyage.io/app/thesocialsource [https://myvoyage.io/app/thesocialsource] And details of the the recent change made by the UK government to international education are at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-face-ban-on-international-students-over-visa-abuse [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-face-ban-on-international-students-over-visa-abuse] Contact Claire: * Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-field-and-associates/] * Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  [https://bsky.app/profile/clairefield.bsky.social] * Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au [https://clairefield.com.au] * Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au  The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au [http://www.johnbriggs.net.au/]

Prof. Phillip Dawson on what comes next with AI in education...

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Prof. Phillip Dawson from CRADLE at Deakin University. During the episode you'll hear them mention the following resources: * The Castlereagh Statement: https://castlereagh.ai/ [https://castlereagh.ai/] * Research on academic cheating by Prof. Guy Curtis and colleagues: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-026-00215-z [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-026-00215-z] (open access) * Prof. Dawson's LinkedIn post with the AI glasses: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philldawson_you-designed-an-interactive-oral-assessment-share-7454689736088109056-zZMo/? [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philldawson_you-designed-an-interactive-oral-assessment-share-7454689736088109056-zZMo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAr4Gr4BLTRX5p55MaAfNuCjKlRIcYNVOhI] * His research with Dr Thomas Corbin & Sue Sharpe on AI wearables and teaching/assessment: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2661367 [https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2661367] (open access) * TEQSA's GenAI knowledge hub: https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/gen-ai-knowledge-hub [https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/gen-ai-knowledge-hub] * Prof. Margaret Bearman's research: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/40465-margaret-bearman/publications [https://experts.deakin.edu.au/40465-margaret-bearman/publications] * The 'drive an F1 race car with your mind' video https://youtu.be/UC_fQa2cmd0?si=on7i9u1dbUw729oD [https://youtu.be/UC_fQa2cmd0?si=on7i9u1dbUw729oD] * The 'control a drone with your mind' video: https://youtu.be/LSUr-C6JLYA?si=1SLeQpe_SF595OW- [https://youtu.be/LSUr-C6JLYA?si=1SLeQpe_SF595OW-] Contact Claire: * Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-field-and-associates/] * Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  [https://bsky.app/profile/clairefield.bsky.social] * Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au [https://clairefield.com.au] * Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au  The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au [http://www.johnbriggs.net.au/]

Rishen Shekhar with some great ideas on fixing international education

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Rishen Shekhar to discuss his experiences in the Australian international education sector and where it needs to head to next. Here are links to some of the articles and reports Rishen discusses: * Jon Chew 'Implications of rising inexplicable student visa rejections' https://thekoalanews.com/implications-of-rising-inexplicable-student-visa-rejections/ [https://thekoalanews.com/implications-of-rising-inexplicable-student-visa-rejections/]IEAA Agent Quality Research Project: https://ieaa.org.au/IEAA/research/Publication/2026/IEAA-Agent-Quality-Research-Project.aspx [https://ieaa.org.au/IEAA/research/Publication/2026/IEAA-Agent-Quality-Research-Project.aspx] * Eric Knight 'Education agent commission ban won't cut course hopping. Here's what will: https://www.themandarin.com.au/308521-education-agent-commission-ban-wont-curb-course-hopping-heres-what-will/ [https://www.themandarin.com.au/308521-education-agent-commission-ban-wont-curb-course-hopping-heres-what-will/] * Minister directs French universities to raise fees for international students: https://monitor.icef.com/2026/04/france-directs-universities-to-charge-higher-tuition-fees-to-non-eu-students-starting-september-2026/ [https://monitor.icef.com/2026/04/france-directs-universities-to-charge-higher-tuition-fees-to-non-eu-students-starting-september-2026/] * Keri Ramirez 'Visa Cost Increase: The Quiet Rise of a $735 Million Revenue Stream' https://thekoalanews.com/visa-cost-increase-the-quiet-rise-of-a-735-million-revenue-stream/ [https://thekoalanews.com/visa-cost-increase-the-quiet-rise-of-a-735-million-revenue-stream/] * Universities Australia factsheet: https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/publication/international-education-a-sector-worth-backing/ [https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/publication/international-education-a-sector-worth-backing/] Contact Claire: * Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field [https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-field-and-associates/] * Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  [https://bsky.app/profile/clairefield.bsky.social] * Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au [https://clairefield.com.au] * Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au  The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au [http://www.johnbriggs.net.au/]