Australia news live: police investigate bomb threat after Anthony Albanese evacuated; university funding warning

PM back at The Lodge after evacuation for security check; report says 40% of universities have spent past five years in deficit. Follow updates live

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Australia’s universities are operating on increasingly thin margins, a new report from Universities Australia reveals.

The report, titled Critical challenges in Australia’s university sector: securing a sustainable future, found over 40% of universities have spent most of the past five years in deficit.

Our universities are not just economic engines – they are places where people build their futures, where talent is nurtured and where opportunity is expanded for the next generation.

There’s a myth that universities are awash with money. The numbers tell a very different story. You can’t ask universities to educate more students, deliver more research and drive productivity while steadily reducing funding per student. At some point, the maths catches up.