Across two days at Melbourne Connect, we’ll unpack how engagement can rebuild confidence in institutions, strengthen social cohesion, and drive solutions to the complex challenges facing our society. Expect thought‑provoking keynotes, practical sessions, and collaborative spaces that push us beyond rhetoric and into action.
Join us as we reimagine the role of universities in shaping a more connected, equitable and impactful future.
Professor Barney Glover AO
Professor Barney Glover AO began his five-year term as Chief Commissioner of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) on 1 July 2026.
Prior to his appointment to the ATEC, Professor Glover served as the Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia for two years.
Professor Glover is a distinguished academic leader, an accomplished mathematician and mathematics educator with significant experience in developing strong relationships with the vocational education sector. He is well respected for his engagement with First Nations Australians and disadvantaged communities.
He was Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University for ten years, from 2014-24, and in 2019 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to tertiary education, professional associations and cultural organisations. In 2015, Professor Glover was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor for his outstanding leadership whilst Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University from 2009 to 2013. Professor Glover was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Western Sydney University in 2024 in recognition of his decade of leadership.
Professor Glover has served on the boards of a diverse range of corporate organisations and several state and national centres covering areas such as health and medical research, energy, mineral exploration, and telecommunications.
Professor Michael Wesley
As Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, Culture and Engagement at the University of Melbourne, Professor Wesley provides leadership across the University, with overall responsibility for strategic guidance and expert advice on external and global engagement, government and corporate affairs, and the University’s cultural estate.
He is also Professor of Politics at the University of Melbourne. His research and writing focuses on Australian foreign policy and the international affairs of Asia and the Pacific. His 2011 book, There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia won the John Button Prize for best writing on Australian politics and policy; and was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards. His most recent book is Helpem Fren: Australia and the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
Before joining the University of Melbourne, he was Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. He has also held positions as the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University, and Assistant Director-General for Transnational Issues at the Office of National Assessments. He has a PhD in International Relations from the University of St Andrews and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Queensland.
Professor Wesley has been an Expert Member of the Australian Government’s Council for International Education since 2019; an Australian representative at the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Expert and Eminent Person’s Group since 2018; and was appointed to the Universities Accord Ministerial Reference Group in December 2022. He is chair of the Group of Eight’s Global Engagement Group.
