Category: Speeches
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Opening statement: Joint Standing Committee on Migration
Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Public Hearing for the Committee’s Inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia Opening statement from Dr Matthew Brown, Deputy Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee. Australia’s future prosperity depends on our ability to…
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Opening statement: Inquiry into the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026
Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Public Hearing for the Committee’s inquiry into the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Opening the doors of opportunity. That’s why we’re here today. It’s why there are more than 100,000 applications…
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Opening statement: PJCIS Review of the Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026
Opening statement to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) Public Hearing for the Committee’s Review of the Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026, Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Let me be very clear at the outset. The Go8 supports this…
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Speech: EABC Board Welcome to Senator the Hon Tim Ayres by Vicki Thomson
European Australian Business Council Boardroom Dinner with Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry and Innovation – 14 April 2026 (Sydney) The past few weeks have been extraordinary. The Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement is concluded. A new defence and security partnership is in place. And Australia is now on…
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Speech: Vote of Thanks – Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson
EU-Australia Business Luncheon with H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, NSW Parliament House, Sydney, Wednesday 25 March 2026
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Opening Statement: Inquiry into Universities Accord (ATEC) Bill 2025 and (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025
Inquiry into Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025 and the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025 Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee. The need for an Australian…
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Keynote address by Vicki Thomson to 2025 UWA Public Policy Institute Higher Education Summit
UWA Public Policy Institute Higher Education Summit 2025, Fit for Purpose? The Future of Governance, Regulation & Impact of the Australian Higher Education Sector The politics of higher education – know when to hold and when to fold Keynote speech from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight Universities *CHECK…
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Opening statement: Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights – Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities
Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight The rise of antisemitism globally and in Australia since 7 October 2023 has been shocking. The fault lines in our social cohesion have been exposed – be it in our communities, in our schools, here in Parliament House and…
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Opening Statement: Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024 (No. 2)
Opening statement from Dr Matthew Brown, Deputy Chief Executive, The Group of Eight The Group of Eight unconditionally rejects all forms of hate and prejudice which are absolutely unacceptable and puts our social cohesion as a nation at risk. We are deeply concerned about the increase in antisemitism since 7…
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Opening Statement: Education and Employment Legislation Committee ESOS Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024[Provisions] Public Hearing
Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Migration is shaping up as a key battlefront in the lead-up to the federal election and the university sector is shaping up to be the fall guy – unfairly and unjustifiably so. This rushed and poorly framed legislation is…
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Keynote speech from Vicki Thomson to the Australia China Education and Tourism Symposium 2023 New Beginnings
25 October 2023 It is my great pleasure to be here today at the Australia China Education and Tourism Symposium – New Beginnings. Can I just say, my love of China goes back many decades and I have made so many productive visits there for work, including very recently as…
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Opening statement from Go8 CE Vicki Thomson to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training Inquiry into the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the Australian education system
Thank you for the invitation to appear before this important inquiry – I emphasise important because the rapid acceleration of generative AI technology is considered by some to be as significant as the industrial revolution. Time will tell. I will make a short opening statement and I am of course…
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Opening statement from Vicki Thomson to the Parliament of South Australia’s Joint Committee on the Establishment of Adelaide University Public Hearing
Thank you for the invitation to appear before this important committee. I will make a short opening statement that will set out clearly the Go8’s position, and I am of course happy to take questions. As Chief Executive of the Group of Eight, I am here today representing the views…
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Opening statement of the Go8 to the Senate inquiry – Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia public hearing
Good morning. My name is Professor Sharon Pickering, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President at Monash University. I’m a criminologist and have worked on violence against women for more than 30 years. I would like to begin today by acknowledging the people of the Kulin Nations, the traditional owners of…
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Opening statement of the Go8 Chief Executive to the Trade Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on their inquiry into Australia’s tourism and international education sectors
Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, The Group of Eight Thank you. Our starting point is twofold: International education is critical to supporting our nation’s strategic and foreign policy objectives. Secondly – the Go8 welcomes as international students those who will make quality graduates, therefore they must come to…
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Opening Statement to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 – Vicki Thomson
Thank you and the Go8 appreciates this opportunity to expand on our submission of 29 November 2021 and to reiterate our key recommendations – which have not shifted significantly since that submission was made almost 16 months ago. It goes without saying that Go8 universities remain committed to protecting national…
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Productivity Commission: Opening statement from Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight
Thank you for the opportunity to set out very clearly the Go8’s strong views on this vital subject. We have the greatest respect for the Productivity Commission’s intent regarding this matter. This makes the Go8 universities that I represent both enthused and relieved that finally the criticality of what we…
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Speech: Recover, Refresh Connect
ACBC Australia-China Education Symposium, Dockside Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight 10 June 2022 Thank you for inviting me to speak here today. It was an invitation much appreciated. I say that with feeling, because, as Chief Executive of the Group of Eight Universities, I consider keeping our relationship…
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Opening remarks to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security public hearing – Review into the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022
16 March 2022 Opening remarks from Ms Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight The Group of Eight is pleased to have this opportunity to be heard during what is vital on-going political and community debate and consultation about the Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2022. I’ll begin by reiterating the…
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Opening remarks to the public hearing on the Australian Research Council Amendment (Ensuring Research Independence) Bill 2018
Senate Education and Employment Legislation CommitteeOpening remarks from Dr Matthew Brown, Deputy Chief Executive, Group of Eight “The Go8 is very much the university grouping most intensely engaged with the ARC given that we receive 70 percent of its funding. As such, I feel we need to start by asking…
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Speech: The Future of Australia-China Higher Education Ties
Foundation for Australian Studies in China (FASIC)Tuesday 23 November 2021Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today. It is an important invite for me, and I mean that most sincerely. It was October 2019 that I was last in China. That…
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Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 and Statutory Review of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 – Appearance by Dr Matthew Brown Deputy CE of Group of Eight Universities (Go8)
Canberra 9 July Thank you for the opportunity to appear today to discuss the Group of Eight’s submission on the review of the Security Legislation Amendment Bill dealing with Critical Infrastructure. The Committee has the Go8 submission and recommendations, so I will keep this opening statement to detail that the…
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Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade into funding for public research into foreign policy issues. Appearance by Ms Vicki Thomson CE of Group of Eight Universities.
Canberra, 7 July 2021 Thank you Chair and committee members for the opportunity to appear today and discuss the Group of Eight’s submission on funding for public research into foreign policy issues. It is important for me to state upfront that the Group of Eight is strongly aligned with the…
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Speech: ACBC Australia-China Education Symposium, Doltone House Hyde Park
9 June 2021 Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive, Group of Eight Thankyou for the invitation to speak to you today. You may not expect a CE of a university organisation to put it so personally, when I say caring for, and worrying about our students from China, and continuing to keep…