The University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a global leader in higher education. Across our campuses we convene brilliant minds from different disciplines and sectors to come together to address important questions and tackle grand challenges. In a disrupted world, that capacity has never been more important.

Our vision is to equip our students with a distinctive, future-facing education personalised around their ambitions and needs, enriched by global perspectives and embedded in a richly collaborative research culture. As active citizens and future leaders, our students represent our greatest contribution to the world, and are at the heart of everything we do.

We serve society by engaging with our communities and ensuring education and research are inspired from the outset by need and for the benefit of society, while remaining committed to allowing academic freedom to flourish. In this, we remain true to our purpose and fulfil our mission as a public-spirited organisation, dedicated to the principles of fairness, equality and excellence in everything we do.

We strive for an environment that is inclusive and celebrates diversity.

Beyond our campuses we imagine an Australia that is ambitious, forward thinking and increasing its reputation and influence globally. We are committed to playing a part in achieving this – building on our advantageous location in one of the world’s most exciting cities and across the state of Victoria, in a region rapidly becoming a hub for innovative education, research and collaboration.

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Supporting and empowering jobseekers has better results than the current “economic” approaches used by jobcentres up and down the country. BasPhoto/Shutterstock

To tackle unemployment, start by empowering jobseekers

Being out of work is hard: here’s how psychology is helping to make the process of finding a job a little easier.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the frontrunner in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, faces a lawsuit in the US for alleged extrajudicial killing and torture. M.A. Pushpa Kumara/EPA

Sri Lanka election: will the country see a return to strongman politics?

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the frontrunner in the presidential election. He was defence secretary during his brother Mahinda’s presidency when the government is accused of numerous wartime atrocities.
Firefighters conduct property protection as a bushfire approaches homes at Woodford NSW, Friday, November 8, 2019. Calls for more controlled burning are common after a major bushfire. DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP

A surprising answer to a hot question: controlled burns often fail to slow a bushfire

Despite the hype around hazard reduction burning this week, evidence shows the measure does not necessarily reduce the bushfire risk.
The work of a first-rate critic can be as important to our appreciation and understanding of a work of art (or performance) as the immediate experience itself. Shutterstock

Alison Croggon and the arts critic as an endangered species

Arts criticism in Australia is under threat, writes Melbourne-based novelist, poet and theatre critic Alison Croggon. One solution may be state subsidy of arts criticism.
Residents evacuate themselves and their animals to a park in Old Bar, NSW, Saturday, November 9, 2019. AAP Image/Darren Pateman

How we plan for animals in emergencies

During an emergency it’s vital you know what your animals need, where you can take them and what your local rules are. Fortunately, there are plans in place and guidelines to help.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison inspecting a burnt-out property in the Gold Coast hinterland in September 2019. Mr Morrison has offered “thoughts and prayers” to those affected by the fires. Dave Hunt/AAP

Mr Morrison, I lost my home to bushfire. Your thoughts and prayers are not enough

Fire officials warn that this week’s catastrophic fire conditions are “where people die”. Climate change has arrived, and politicians should drop the meaningless rhetoric.
A dairy cow grazes on the lawns in front of Parliament House in Canberra in 2015, as part of an industry event. Dean Lewins/AAP

The milk, the whole milk and nothing but the milk: the story behind our dairy woes

Pressure is mounting on Australia’s dairy farmers, from farm gate prices to animal welfare concerns, and technology that could produce milk without cows.
Large shareholders are increasingly being criticised for not pressuring company boards enough to be more socially and environmentally responsible. Daniel Pockett/AAP

Shareholder activism sounds good, but it can’t change much

Don’t expect institutional investors to become activists for change to make corporations more responsible. More direct approaches are urgently needed.
Big Tech companies have built a better trap for profiting from consumers’ attention than the traditional media can offer. Shutterstock

Media Files: Media companies are mad as hell at tech giants and don’t want to take it anymore. But what choice do they have?

Media companies are mad as hell at tech giants and don’t want to take it anymore. But what choice do they have? The Conversation64.5 MB (download)
No wonder that, according to a new international survey, media companies are increasingly unhappy with their lot. In this episode we hear from the survey's author, Robert Whitehead.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recast how decisions are made about Indigenous affairs. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The government is committed to an Indigenous voice. We should give it a chance to work

We have welcomed the opportunity to guide the co-design process because we feel this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recast how decisions are made in Indigenous affairs.
Robots like AIBO can provide companionship to humans, and in some instances humans may even develop a strong emotional attachment to them. SHUTTERSTOCK

Abusing a robot won’t hurt it, but it could make you a crueller person

Robots are becoming more common in our lives. And while they may not have “feelings”, perhaps the way we treat them reflects more on our character than we previously thought.
Macquarie University is hit harder than others, but domestic enrolments across Australia aren’t increasing like they used to. from shutterstock.com

Enrolments flatlining: Australian unis’ financial strife in three charts

In 2018, domestic numbers for undergraduate courses fell for the first time since 2013 – they will remain stagnant for some years. This and other factors put unis at face financial risk.

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