Roundtable Discussion

The evolving landscape
of education leadership

Date: Thursday, 30 July, 2026
Location: Winthrop Hall, The University of Western Australia

Event summary

On 30 July 2026, the Perth USAsia Centre and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) brought together senior leaders from Western Australia’s schools sector, along with representatives from government and the broader international education ecosystem, including Austrade and UWA, to facilitate a roundtable discussion on the evolving landscape of education leadership.

The discussion explored how shifts in global student mobility, changing demographics, transnational education (TNE) models, and international engagement are shaping opportunities and challenges facing Australia’s education sector. Participants considered the role of Western Australian schools and tertiary institutions in strengthening regional partnerships, supporting international engagement, and delivering high quality teaching and learning for both domestic and international students across the Indo-Pacific.

The conversation highlighted the importance of Australia’s education sector, including schools, as a strategic asset in strengthening global outreach, developing talent, and advancing Australia’s broader trade, investment, and diplomatic objectives.

Key insights from this discussion included:

  • International education is becoming increasingly competitive and globally connected. This requires institutions to diversify recruitment markets, strengthen partnerships and explore new models of delivery in response to changing student mobility patterns. TNE presents opportunities to strengthen regional engagement.
  • Technology is transforming teaching and learning across schools and tertiary institutions. Developments such as AI and online learning present opportunities to enhance learning outcomes, while requiring careful consideration of how to maintain educational quality, student wellbeing, and academic integrity.
  • Australia’s education sector plays an integral role in developing a pipeline of skilled workers. Strong education pathways between schools, tertiary institutions, and industry are critical to meet future workforce demands, particularly in the health, digital, and green economy sectors. Employers increasingly value graduates who possess both strong technical expertise and the broader capabilities needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
  • Australia’s distinctive intercultural learning experiences remain a key competitive advantage. Leveraging these strengths can enhance Australia’s reputation as a trusted education partner and support deeper engagement across the region.
  • Greater collaboration across the education sector can deliver mutual advantage. Although the priorities and operating models of Australian universities and schools may be different, opportunities exist to strengthen partnerships and collective approaches to international engagement.

Related insights

From Export to Engagement: Australia’s Knowledge Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific

Higher education stands out as Australia’s most consistent and recognisable instrument of soft power, and an important diplomatic tool in a challenging strategic landscape. But Australia’s international education system stands at a crossroads. To sustain influence in the Indo-Pacific, it must evolve its education from an export industry into an instrument of knowledge diplomacy.

Guest Speaker

Professor Gordon Flake

Professor Gordon Flake is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia.

Professor Flake is one of the world’s leading authorities on strategic developments in the Indo-Pacific. Having spent twenty-five years in the US foreign policy community focused on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and now ten years in Australia’s Indian Ocean capital, he is an expert on key strategic relationships in the broader Indo-Pacific. He has authored many scholarly and policy studies on security developments in the region, and their policy implications for the US and its regional partners.

Since establishing the Centre in 2014, Professor Flake has worked to build stronger international relationships between Australia, the US and the broader Indo-Pacific. He has led the growth of several major international conferences in Australia and the region; and established a range of high-level diplomatic and policy dialogues on issues of shared concern for the Indo-Pacific.

Professor Flake is a sought-after media commentator, particularly on strategic developments in the Indo-Pacific and change order issues to do with US politics and foreign policy. His work has appeared in many leading international outlets, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, as well as across the Australian media landscape.

Professor Flake holds several key strategic leadership positions. He is a Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) and serves on the boards of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Australia Korea Foundation.

Prior to joining the Centre, he was the Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, an Associate Director of the Program on Conflict Resolution at The Atlantic Council of the United States, and Director for Research and Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Korean) and Master of Arts (International and Area Studies) from Brigham Young University. He speaks both fluent Korean and Laotian.

Venue

Winthrop Hall
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009

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