The New Social Contract

How Australian universities will fare in a post pandemic world depends on an influential but rarely talked about relationship.

This is the relationship between the state, its institutions, and the public: what’s often referred to as “the social contract”.

The social contract universities had when COVID-19 erupted, was one that patched together a variety of largely unstated hopes and expectations and this has enormous consequences for where we find ourselves today.

What is the new social contract for Australian universities in the 21st century and how did we arrive at this place?

This podcast is hosted by Associate Professor Tamson Pietsch and produced by Impact Studios at the University of Technology Sydney.

Episode One Guests:

Dr. Hannah Forsyth, Senior Lecturer in history at the Australian Catholic University

Dr James Waghorne, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne

For show notes and transcripts visit: https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/impact-studios/projects/new-social-contract-podcast

News grabs in the trailer feature the voices of:

Alison Barnes, National President of the NTEU on Sky News ‘Govt university package all ‘smoke and mirrors’.

Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney on the ABC, Education in the Age of Covid-19, Q+A.

Professor Des Manderson interdisciplinary scholar, (ANU) on Radio National Big Ideas ‘The purpose and future of the university (part two)’ – a broadcast version of an event presented by the ANU College of Law and the ANU Centre for Law, Arts & the Humanities, that was curated and facilitated by Natasha Cica of Kapacity.org at the National Library of Australia on 17 March 2020.

Professor Claire Macken Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching College of Business and Law at RMIT University on the KMPG podcast series, Talking Tertiary.

Mark Scott, Head of the New South Wales Education Department, on the ABC, Education in the Age of Covid-19, Q+A.

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, on the ABC, 7.30 Report, 16 April 2020.

The New Social Contract seeks to contribute to a national conversation on how the relationship between universities, the state and the public might be reshaped as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us as we discuss the kind of higher education sector our society needs.

Episode One is dropping Monday 4th of May 2020.

This podcast is hosted by Associate Professor Tamson Pietsch and produced by Impact Studios at the University of Technology Sydney.

For show notes and transcripts visit: https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/impact-studios/projects/new-social-contract-podcast

News grabs in the trailer feature the voices of:

Linda Mottram,Journalist on PM , ABC ‘Fears Australian universities could collapse in wake of COVID-19’

Alison Barnes, National President of the NTEU on Sky News ‘Govt university package all ‘smoke and mirrors’

George Megalogenis, Author and Journalist on Radio National Big Ideas ‘The purpose and future of the university (part two)’ a broadcast version of an event presented by the ANU College of Law and the ANU Centre for Law, Arts & the Humanities, that was curated and facilitated by Natasha Cica of Kapacity.org at the National Library of Australia on 17 March 2020. Tamson was invited to participate in this talk as an expert in the history of universities, an area she’s been working on since 2004.

Brian Schmidt, Vice Chancellor, ANU on PM, ABC ‘Fears Australian universities could collapse in wake of COVID-19’

What kinds of work will we be doing in 2040? What industries will still be going strong and which will have fallen away?

The training and education we need now will depend on the kinds of work – the industries and services – around which, as a nation we want to build our economy and society.

Australia is facing possibly the worst economic downturn in its history. So how should that sobering prospect reshape the relationship between universities, government and society – including industry?

Thanks to The New Social Contract episode five guests

Alison Pennington, a Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute

&

Megan Lilly, is head of Workforce Development at the Australian Industry Group (or AIG) – Australia’s peak industry association.

The news grabs and additional audio in this episode of The New Social Contract podcast came from the following sites:

‘From Back in Black to recession’, reported on AM, ABC, June 4, 2020.

’The recession we couldn’t avoid’ on RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Abc, June 4, 2020.

‘Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Australia has officially entered recession’ from ABC News, June 2 2020.

‘Treasurer warns the worst is yet to come as Australia’s economy enters recession’ from ABC News, June 3 2020.

The Paris Riots of 1968 ‘French students again clash with riot police, Paris, France’, published by British Pathe on Youtube.

‘The May 1968 protests that paralysed France’, published on Witness, by the BBC.

‘May 1968 Paris Riots’ on The History Hour, published by the BBC.