Social Licence of Australian Universities
Initiating the social licence project
In February 2025, Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors convened for a Joint Plenary workshop in Canberra, a collaborative event between the University Chancellors Council and Universities Australia. The discussion was focused on social licence for Australian Universities - do we have it, do we need to discuss it further, and how should we approach this work?
From this meeting, a number of key focus areas were agreed as current challenges for the university sector along with the convening of a steering committee to continue to examine social licence for the sector.
Social Licence: What is it, and why does it matter?
Social licence can be understood as the acceptance that is given or granted to an organisation by the community. It recognises that trust and confidence of stakeholders is foundational. While often considered the domain of businesses which have lost the public trust through controversial practices or positions, social licence has increasing importance and relevance for Australian universities - particularly in our current social and political climates globally, and at home.
Social licence requires more than a communications campaign. Social licence is a challenge for universities to reckon with — from the governing body, to management, and throughout the operations of the institution. It’s an ongoing consideration for individual institutions and for the broader sector to come together on - across networks and representative groups.
Social Licence Steering Committee
In March 2025, UCC and UA established the Social Licence Steering Committee (SLSC) to provide structured, cross-sector leadership in strengthening the public trust in Australia’s universities. The Steering Committee is co-convened by UCC and UA and brings together both Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors in the identification of shared priorities, coordination of action, and generation of advice for sector-wide responses to challenges arising in the areas of public trust and perception.
The SLSC recognises that maintaining social licence is critical for the university sectors long-term sustainability and success. University social licence is dependent on both sector-wide initiatives and individual universities commitments to genuine engagement and deliberate partnership with both the university and the broader national communities.
The Steering Committee is made up of 5 Chancellors, 5 Vice-Chancellors, and is co-chaired by the Convenor of the UCC and the Chair of Universities Australia, with Secretariat support provided by the UCC. To ensure Australian Universities are well represented, the committee is compiled of volunteers across multiple states, university networks, and regional/city demographics.
Contribute to the conversation.
The Steering Committee has enabled ongoing submissions to the work, for the duration of the Committee. Submissions can be directed toward a current or historical area of focus, or direct the SLSC towards an emerging area of concern or challenge experienced by the university community.