The Communities and Universities Program is exploring how communities, universities and policymakers can work together more effectively to solve complex problems and create lasting change.
Communities understand the challenges they face better than anyone. Universities generate new knowledge and ideas. Governments make decisions that shape people's lives. Too often, these three worlds operate separately. As a result, valuable local knowledge is overlooked, research doesn't always translate into real-world change, and policies can miss the mark, particularly in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Led from Broken Hill in Far West New South Wales, this program focuses on building stronger connections between communities and universities.
Our starting point is simple: the people closest to a challenge should help shape the solutions.
Far West NSW Policy Impact Hub: Working alongside communities across far west NSW to identify local priorities, inform policy and strengthen regional outcomes.
Community knowledge and lived experience: Creating new ways for community knowledge, lived experience and academic research to inform decision-making together.
Regional health and workforce innovation: Exploring practical solutions to challenges such as healthcare access, workforce shortages and service delivery in regional Australia.
Stronger community-university partnerships: Developing models that help communities and universities work together as genuine partners in research, policy and implementation.
Professor Debra Jones is the Head of Clinical School at The Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health. Her work challenges traditional assumptions about where expertise resides, demonstrating how community knowledge, lived experience and academic research can work together to address complex social challenges.
Led by Professor Debra Jones, Communities and Universities explores how universities and communities can work together to address complex social challenges and create lasting impact. Debra is widely recognised for her leadership in rural health, workforce development and community-engaged approaches to policy and practice.
