Bill Shorten’s tax to fund universities could be popular, but it’s risky

As vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, Bill Shorten has a politician’s eye on higher education funding.

When delivering UC Aitkin Lecture of 2026 At the National Press Club this week, the former Labor leader argued that universities are in a “political stalemate”: their funding relies on domestic student debt and international student fees, each of which is now controversial.

To address this problem, Shorten called for a “fundamental rethink” of the high reliance on student debt to fund universities. He argued that with international student enrollments under immigration policy pressure, universities could no longer rely on this “magic bullet” solution to their financial problems.