“Australia’s universities have been calling for regulatory relief, so this is a step in the right direction,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy said.

“Universities Australia will co-chair this working group with the Department of Education to ensure the sector’s expertise directly informs practical reforms.

“Universities should be focused on teaching students and delivering world-class research, not navigating layers of red tape.

“The increasingly complex, overlapping and costly compliance environment we operate in is a distraction from the main game. It diverts time and resources away from students and research, and that comes at a cost to national productivity.

“Cutting unnecessary red tape is a practical productivity reform. Every hour and every dollar redirected from compliance to teaching and research strengthens Australia’s skills base, drives innovation and lifts productivity.

“We need smart, streamlined regulation that preserves quality and public confidence, while stripping away unnecessary overlap and compliance burdens.

“This has to be about cutting red tape, not adding to it.

“We welcome the government’s leadership on this and look forward to turning this into practical changes that deliver for students, universities and for the nation.”