David Gonski has stepped down as University of NSW Chancellor, a role he has held for more than 20 years.
Gonski, the first UNSW graduate to become Chancellor, has been a steady, influential presence through years of rapid growth and shifting expectations in higher education. In that time, the University has climbed into the world’s top 20, sharpened its research footprint and doubled down on its mission to serve the public good through its ‘Progress for All’ strategy.
“I have loved this job. UNSW is a very special place and to have been permitted to be its Chancellor for 20 years is one of the greatest honours of my life,” Gonski said in a statement.
A heavyweight of Australian education
UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs said Gonski has been “a sage, innovative guide through periods of challenge”.
“He stewarded the University through the COVID-19 pandemic, which had significant impacts on our community, finances and the sector,” Professor Brungs said. “But his leadership extended far beyond that; David helped steer UNSW through financial pressures, complex governance reforms and strategic decisions that shaped the future of the University.”
Professor Brungs said Gonski’s influence has shaped some of the University’s most pivotal moments.
“David’s wisdom, calm leadership and exceptional ability to bring people together across diverse perspectives have been invaluable in navigating these defining moments and ensuring the University’s success for generations to come.”
A champion for equity
And it wasn’t just higher education that Gonski has helped to transform. In 2011, his name became shorthand for one of the most significant shifts in Australian education policy in decades.
As the architect of the landmark 2011 Review of Funding for Schooling, Gonski pushed a simple but powerful idea: funding should follow student need, not school sector.
His work led to the creation of the Schooling Resource Standard — a national benchmark that sets a base amount for every student, topped up with loadings for disadvantage, disability, rurality or Indigenous background.
The goal was straightforward: make sure the kids who need the most support actually receive it. Gonski’s influence didn’t end there.
One of the outcomes of the Gonski Review into school funding was the creation of Schools Plus – a charity established in 2013 to break down the barriers that prevented schools, particularly in disadvantaged communities – from connecting with the people and organisations that want to support them.
In a 2016 interview with The Educator, Gonski said a significant difference could be made by giving to organisations like Schools Plus, which he said “will bring a rigour to putting it together” with other funds and “making sure that it has an effect”.
“What Schools Plus allows one to do is to get the tax deduction, the endorsement as well as at the same time giving schools that perhaps don’t have fundraisers and people who know who to call on are on tap,” he said. “However, it gives them the ability to get that through the structure of Schools Plus.”
A lasting legacy
In 2018, Gonski returned to lead a second review, this time focused on lifting student outcomes and refining a system that still struggled to deliver equity in practice. The review recommended a “radical overhaul” focusing on critical thinking, core general capabilities, and needs-based funding to lift results, although its ambitious, evidence-based approach faced debate and implementation challenges with states.
In 2024, after years of debate over how to bring Gonski’s ambitious vision to life, Federal, State and Territory Governments finally took a major step toward the needs-based system he envisaged, agreeing to the ‘Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA).
The agreement, which all jurisdictions have now signed up to, puts public schools on a clear path to full SRS funding. The Commonwealth has agreed to lift its contribution from 20% to 25% by 2034, with states covering the remainder. In return, schools must implement reforms including early literacy and numeracy screening, evidence-based teaching practices and strengthened wellbeing support – signalling a long-awaited shift from policy debate to practical action.
AI should offer more hope than gloom
With reforms now taking aim at the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in Australian schools, Gonski shared his insights into the potential of this technology to improve the way we work and learn.
“Many people ask me often, with AI coming, shouldn't we just go to the beach? Which I disagree with that, absolutely,” Gonski said in an interview with ABC News. “I think we're going to be able to do our jobs much better. Some people will have different jobs to do, but I think that's quite exciting.”
As for AI’s role in universities, Gonski is of the view that it will “make us, not destroy us”, adding that the technology is unlikely to replace teachers anytime soon.
“Personally, the good teachers will already know that AI will improve their lives, not ruin their lives,” Gonski said.
“They will use the techniques and the machinery that comes with AI to make their students really see things that they can't do without AI.”