source : the age
This week, we’re looking at innovation and education as we count down to our three-day civic forum bringing together the people, ideas and conversations shaping Melbourne.
Melbourne Assembly, presented by The Age in partnership with the University of Melbourne, will spark crucial conversations about the future of our city across four themes: shaping the city, healthy places and people, innovation and education, plus sport and the arts.
Our city editor Cara Waters kicked things off last month with ideas for shaping the city.
Urban affairs writer Cassandra Morgan explored what makes a happier and healthier Melbourne.
This week, education reporter Alex Crowe announces the education experts set to share their insights at the conference in October and provides a glimpse of how we’ll tackle the big questions.
Over to Alex.
Education is Victoria’s largest services export earner, generating $18 billion for the state’s economy in 2025.
But many more billions depend on the sector’s ability to continue delivering into the future, as Melbourne is projected to become Australia’s largest city in the coming years.
Over three days, Melbourne Assembly will be the centre of crucial conversations for our future, and education and innovation form one of the conference’s key pillars.
Former New York mayor Bill de Blasio and global planning pioneer Carlos Moreno will open the event by canvassing the brightest ideas for our city.
Incoming University of Melbourne vice chancellor, Professor Carolyn Evans, will join our headline international speakers on opening night, for one of her first major addresses as the university’s leader.
Evans, the chair of Universities Australia, says education is more important than ever.
Speaking at the National Press Club last week on whether universities were still relevant amid “the rapid and visible development of AI”, she said education should build transferable skills that evolve with workplaces.
The academic leader warned Australia had to innovate as a country to ensure that future university graduates had access to high-quality jobs.
“Now, the good news, the wonderful news, is this: Australian universities punch far above our weight when it comes to the quality of research.”
We’ll delve deeper into the themes of education and innovation with Melbourne Assembly keynote speakers, University of Melbourne’s dean of education, Professor Marek Tesar, and Doherty Institute director, Professor Sharon Lewin, on day two of the forum.
The Age’s world editor Supratim Adhikari will then moderate a panel featuring Lewin, as well as Quantum Australia chief executive officer Petra Andrén; co-founder of cloud-collaboration platform Aconex, Leigh Jasper; and regional managing director for applied AI company Faculty, Rohan Silva.
Next week, The Age will bring you a series of features exploring how education is adapting to modern challenges, including the growing threats and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.
Our journalists Patrick Hatch and Jackson Graham will examine the jobs and industries of the future by asking: What is Melbourne good at? What are the city’s strengths that will ensure its productivity into the future?
Graham, who specialises in higher education, will investigate whether local universities are equipped to meet future challenges.
As part of a deep dive into the universities of tomorrow, he will question the way in which degrees are delivered and examine universities’ physical presence in our cities.
Can their infrastructure meet the needs of the business hubs and start-ups that are increasingly considered vital to the sector’s future?
Hatch, a state politics reporter, will explore the concept of brain drain. He’ll investigate whether we are doing enough to keep our best and brightest here and what we risk if the answer to that is “no”.
Presenting partner the University of Melbourne is joining The Age to host Melbourne Assembly at The Edge in Federation Square from October 19 to 21, alongside major partners – sport and entertainment precinct Melbourne Park and health insurer Bupa. Right Angle, the City of Melbourne and the Committee for Melbourne are supporting partners.
As a subscriber, you have early access to tickets for this event at a substantial discount. You can click on this link to see the offers available for various parts of Melbourne Assembly and enter the code EditorNote to apply the subscriber discount.
Further information will be made available at the Melbourne Assembly website. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks about our other guest speakers.
Ultimately, the most important voice in the city is yours.
We invite you to share your experiences, vision, and solutions for a better Melbourne.
From the future of education and innovation, to arts revitalisation and strategic urban planning, to community health and wellness, our subscribers’ insights are essential to shaping our conference agenda.
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