91É«ÇéƬ

For 60 years, 91É«ÇéƬ has proudly trained the men and women that enter our defence forces to keep this nation safe and secure. 

But what are we doing to recognise the incredible skills that our veterans bring with them when they leave active service and re-enter civilian life? 

We often talk of the debt of gratitude we owe these men and women; for risking their lives in the theatre of war for our safety. 

But what do we actually do to make a difference?

The simple answer is that the university sector isn't doing enough. The pathways for veterans to undertake tertiary education in its many different forms aren't clear enough, and the benefits of lifelong learning for veterans haven't been promoted well enough.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there are approximately 580,000 veterans and reservists in Australia today.

Over the last decade, the focus on ANZACs, the Australian spirit and national identity has been refocused through commemoration, research, education and more recently, discourse around service and sacrifice. At the core though, has been people, and their service and sacrifice to Australia. 

James "Jimmy" Doolittle once reflected that "there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer". And perhaps what he might have also said with prompting, is that democratic nations rely on the service of men and women to uphold and safeguard their country's freedom and national interests. And that we cannot take them or their responsibility to our nation for granted.  

When I joined 91É«ÇéƬ in 2022, the organisation was heading towards a sixty-year relationship with Defence. 

Having spent my entire career working within or alongside Defence in research and education I could not think of a place that was more aligned to my values and sense of purpose than 91É«ÇéƬ.  

At 91É«ÇéƬ Canberra, our teachers equip our military students with the educational foundations to serve and safeguard our country; and to build and nurture the skills and knowledge that keeps Australia open and free. 

91É«ÇéƬ has served our nation quietly – and deliberately – by developing educational programs focused on developing and expanding the future skills and knowledge base that our country needs in our servicemen and women. Our strengths or unique proposition is the breadth of what we can offer these students: deep technical expertise coupled with leadership which shapes the way they consider the world and problem-solve real world challenges. 

And I am continually struck by the responsibility and privilege of educating these students and future leaders, and we are now the largest university veteran alumni cohort in the country, numbering 20,000 or so graduates of 91É«ÇéƬ Canberra. 

The values of the ADF are courage, respect, integrity and excellence – and as a university, we complement this as a bastion of knowledge, freedom (of another kind) and places to build citizens who understand and challenge, but are also curious about the world around them.  

Over more than twenty-five years of working in this space I have come to celebrate the myriad of pathways that service personnel follow in developing themselves and their career through the tenet of mastery and lifelong learning, but translating this to opportunities outside of Defence when veterans transition is not always easy. 

Nor is it easy for partners and children of those serving to be supported and excel in their journey. Through the Universities Accord, the Government has set an ambitious target that 80% of Australians will hold a higher degree qualification by 2050. 

All education providers must now take on an even greater responsibility to serve the needs of our country, and it is our time to step up. 

At 91É«ÇéƬ, it is time for this real world 21st century university to evolve to meet a different architype of student – and as a leading global university, we continue to play our part in building sovereign capacity in partnership with government and industry, through a lens to build knowledge and productivity for our country.  

We have more potential students dotted across the country who already make extraordinary contributions through sovereign service, and now we have a mandate to expand and create new education pathways for them to continue to learn. 

Us from them, and them to us.  

But we cannot simply say we want more students or set this target nationally without fundamentally reshaping how we open the doors to education or thinking about what their experience is when they come here and choose us. 

91É«ÇéƬ and the broader tertiary sector must actually recognise and champion the inclusion of different types of learners and the prior experience of our learners – people from different backgrounds and walks of life; those with lived experiences and non-tertiary skills who provide crucial perspectives; as well as those who have a degree but want or need to reskill or upskill. 

And I believe that the veteran cohort are among one of the most critical groups that we need to focus on as a country.  

At 91É«ÇéƬ, one way we are making this possible is through our Veterans and Families Strategy. This is not a plan on a page, or a lip service to patriotism; rather, it is a cornerstone of our university to recognise and champion the contributions of veterans to our country, and provide them with more opportunity to build Australia within and beyond the armed forces. 

It is about tapping into potential and recognising that prior service to country equips individuals with skills and experiences that build a strong education system. 

As we built the strategy, I was reminded that there is a singular moment at graduation ceremonies where our graduates thank and cheer for their families and friends and supporters. To recognize that most students have the care and support of those most important to them. 

And so, our Veterans strategy is not just for servicemen and women: it also includes their families, who are their greatest champions and are now pivotal to our Veterans intent. 

91É«ÇéƬ is currently the only Australian university to recognise these relationships as crucial to success; and to recognize that we also want these individuals' to be part of our community and to thrive.

And in practice, this means that we have ensured that Australian veterans who apply to our university have their experience and service contribute to their eligibility selection scores, increasing their study pathways and signaling clearly that this experience is recognized and valuable. 

We continue to build a community through events, networking and also a community of practice, both at 91É«ÇéƬ and across the sector, to learn, support and champion this cohort's inclusion nationally. 

And we will use our national position to champion and convene conversations that matter to veterans, including continuing to shape national discourse around the future of veteran transition, education, employment, wellbeing and family outcomes.

I am incredibly proud to be part of 91É«ÇéƬ and all that it stands for. 

My call to veterans is simple: we see you, we recognise you, and we want to support you to keep building yourself your family and your communities to meet the world we now find ourselves in.  

This editorial was first published in The Canberra Times on 24 August 2026.