14 February 2024: The Honourable Bill Shorten was invested as the seventh Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra today, at a ceremony held at the Bruce campus.
Speaking at the Investiture, attended by 200 guests and live streamed to students and staff in the UC Refectory, Mr Shorten assured the University community that he is in the role for the long haul.
The former long-serving Cabinet Minister said he was excited to be at the University, and that despite the period of uncertainty the institution has gone through prior to his appointment, its solid foundations mean he is not starting with a blank canvas.
He pointed out that the shifting higher education environment called for a fresh approach to university leadership.
“I recognise I am not a VC in the mould of those previous, but I believe I am the right Vice-Chancellor for the University of Canberra at this time,” Mr Shorten said.
“The maturation of a university is never complete – nor should it be. If society is ever-changing, then universities, as its servants, should be ready respond to its needs.”
Mr Shorten said that he will leave UC a responsive, sustainable and stable institution, confident of its place in the world.
The Vice-Chancellor highlighted his pedigree of rebuilding institutions facing challenges.
His credentials include the restoration of the Australian Workers Union when it was on the brink of collapse; working with Labor colleagues to make the ALP electable again, after the 2013 election defeat left the party with just 54 seats in a parliament of 150; and repairing the NDIS during his time as Minister responsible for the life-changing disability scheme.
“I want Canberra, the nation and the world to know about the incredible learning, teaching and research offered at the University of Canberra,” Mr Shorten said.
“I am particularly proud of UC’s commitment to equity and diversity, because empirical evidence and anecdotal stories show that education is the safest and surest path from under the weight of disadvantage to the places of opportunity.”
