Western Sydney University

Western Sydney University prides itself on challenging the traditional notion of what a university should be. We are deeply embedded in the community and the region we serve – Australia’s fastest growing economy.

Ranked in all major global rankings systems, we are delighted to be ranked the world’s best in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings.

Assessing universities on their commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Western Sydney University topped the list out of more than 1,400 universities for our work tackling issues like sustainability, climate action, equality, inclusivity and social justice.

Western Sydney University is also a research leader – the result of focused investment in its research strengths and facilities. We see learning and research as connected aspects of the student experience. We work with regional, national and international partners to deliver research that has a positive impact on the economic, social and environmental well-being of our communities.

With a modern outlook, the University has an agile and contemporary take on traditional higher education offerings, affording students, both international and Australian-based, significant advantages and unique opportunities.

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Babies born in private hospitals are more likely to have a problem following birth and to be readmitted to hospital in their first 28 days. Martin LaBar/Flickr

Birth intervention – and harm – more likely in private hospitals

Hannah Dahlen, Western Sydney University and Sally Tracy, University of Sydney

Australia has high rates of medical and surgical intervention (including caesarean section) during birth, especially in private hospitals. While these interventions can be harmful if overused, people working…
Celebrity couple Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin announced a split after 10 years of marriage. EPA/Britta Pedersen & Jose Coelho

The science of romance – can we predict a breakup?

Lisa A Williams, UNSW and Rebecca T. Pinkus, Western Sydney University

Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin seemed to have the perfect marriage until their “conscious uncoupling” earlier this year. Was the split destined to happen? What…
Roads are the way to go for the 2014 federal budget. tim rich and lesley katon/Flickr

Federal budget 2014: infrastructure experts react

Michiel Bliemer, University of Sydney; Christopher Standen, University of Sydney; Graham Currie, Monash University; Jemma Green, Curtin University, and Phillip O'Neill, Western Sydney University

The Abbott government has committed an additional A$11.6 billion for an “infrastructure growth package” that is heavy on roads, but aimed at fast-tracking what it considers critical infrastructure. The…
On budget night there will be winners and losers when it comes to housing subsidies. Alan Porritt/AAP

At budget time, remember we all live in subsidised housing

Dallas Rogers, Western Sydney University

The great Australian dream to own a house has long been underwritten by the great Australian housing subsidy. Whether you are a public or social housing tenant, a private renter or a homeowner, chances…
Carmen’s rhythms set her body in perpetual motion – contagious and seductive. Nancy Fabiola Herrera as Carmen & the Opera Australia Chorus, photo: Branco Gaica

Bizet’s femme fatale: Carmen and the music of seduction

Sally Macarthur, Western Sydney University

The fictional character of Carmen – the heroine of Bizet’s opera – attracts a range of labels which variously position her as seductress, femme fatale, sex addict, fate/ death obsessed, victim, liberated…
The cases of Donald Sterling in the US and Dani Alves in Spain serve to emphasise that sport – and society – still has work to do to combat racism. EPA/Paul Buck

Sterling, Alves and why racism continues to dog sport worldwide

Keith Parry, Western Sydney University

Two recent instances of sports-related racial abuse have seen athletes take strong, united stands against the scourge of racism. While the cases of Donald Sterling in the US and Dani Alves in Spain are…
Chemical castration isn’t the answer to keeping children safe from sexual offenders. l i g h t p o e t/Shutterstock

Treatment or punishment? Chemical castration of child sex offenders

Maggie Hall, Western Sydney University

The use of “chemical castration” has been seen by many as an answer to the public fear of paedophiles, reignited by the recent trial of Brett Cowan for the murder of Daniel Morcombe. The idea is that giving…
Ritzy red wine has come to represent political influence-peddling in the resignation of NSW premier Barry O'Farrell. AAP/Julian Smith

O'Farrell resignation: red wine, political blood and cultural memory

David Rowe, Western Sydney University

Political scandals, the perennial product of the grinding gears of greed and governance, proliferate in the age of digital media, the 24-hours news cycle and anti-corruption bodies with wide powers. Constant…
Academics are accused of not contributing enough to society, but universities don’t value community and digital activities that get them out of their ivory towers. Shutterstock

University metrics keep academics in their ivory towers

Jason Ensor, Western Sydney University

Perhaps we should excuse comments made during the 2013 federal election about “wasteful” and “increasingly ridiculous research” undertaken in Australia. The real shock was not that shadow ministers could…
When it comes to their futures, teens are influenced by what their friends are doing, and what their parents want them to do. Shutterstock

Early ambitions make a big difference to career outcomes

Alexandra Hansen, The Conversation

Young people who have early ambitions for study and their career are more likely to succeed than those who haven’t thought about life after high school. New research shows having a career or strategic…
Our teachers can be trusted to guide our kids through to adulthood, but apparently not to dress properly. Shutterstock

Can’t our teachers even be trusted to dress appropriately?

Benjamin T. Jones, Western Sydney University

Do the clothes make the teacher? This certainly appears to be the attitude of NSW education minister Adrian Piccoli who released details of a new dress code starting in term two for the state’s 70,000…
Are parents using technological devices as pacifiers rather than talking to them? www.shutterstock.com.au

We’re not talking to our kids: are we causing speech delay?

Jane Louise Hunter, Western Sydney University

A parent with a small child in a stroller is walking along the footpath with headphones in. The child is crying, the parent is oblivious. A parent walks into a cafe engaged in conversation on the phone…
New ways are needed to pay for infrastructure, according to the Productivity Commission. But our Asian neighbours are already at work. AAP/Dean Lewins

Government should front cash for long‑term infrastructure

Dallas Rogers, Western Sydney University

Elected with a pledge to be the infrastructure prime minister, Tony Abbott has repeatedly promised to bring more private investment into high-priority infrastructure projects. Last week’s Productivity…
The National Rental Affordability Scheme is working as designed, but has failed to meet targets. jroyals/Flickr

Rental affordability scheme fears are misplaced

Michael Darcy, Western Sydney University

The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) looks set for a major shakeup by the government, following suggestions it has been hijacked by universities to develop subsidised studio apartments for wealthy…
Federal attorney-general George Brandis argues that the current debate on racial vilification laws centres on the regulation of free speech. AAP/Daniel Munoz

What do Australian internet users think about racial vilification?

Andrew Jakubowicz, University of Technology Sydney; Kevin Dunn, Western Sydney University; Rosalie Atie, Western Sydney University, and Yin Paradies, Deakin University

Some time in the near future, federal attorney-general George Brandis will take a proposal to cabinet to amend or repeal the racial vilifications provisions (Sections 18C and 18D) of the Racial Discrimination…
A political party inspired by controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders is set to launch next year. AAP/Julian Smith

The Australian Liberty Alliance and the politics of Islamophobia

Benjamin T. Jones, Western Sydney University

News that an anti-Islam lobby group, the Q Society of Australia, plans to launch a political party to contest the next federal election should be cause for alarm. Based on the principles of Dutch MP Geert…
The Sydney Biennale boycott campaign has raised important – and difficult – questions about how we fund the arts. Wexner Centre

Is there any clean money left to fund the arts?

James Arvanitakis, Western Sydney University

In the wake of the Sydney Biennale’s split from its major sponsor Transfield in recent days, certain uncomfortable questions are again floating very close to the surface. In the late 1990s, I had a successful…
Body shapes can now be ‘seen’ by congenitally blind people, thanks to special software. ►Milo►/Flickr

Blind people can ‘see’ bodies with sound: study

Madeleine Martiniello, The Conversation

Congenitally blind people have been taught to perceive body shape and posture through “soundscapes” that translate images into sound, a study published today in Current Biology reports. Vision often dominates…
It’s too early to adjust recommendations for paracetamol use during pregnancy, experts say. Image from shutterstock.com

Paracetamol during pregnancy linked to ADHD risk

Fron Jackson-Webb, The Conversation

Children of women who take paracetamol during pregnancy may be at higher risk of developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new pilot-style study suggests. But experts warn this should…
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