Will Trump’s “anti-wokeism” change DEI in Australian universities?

United States President Donald Trump's first six weeks of his second term has been defined by 76 executive orders, the disestablishment of the national education department and establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). One of the most controversial executive orders, which is a written directive signed by a president that orders immediate governmental action, was titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing," signed on President Trump's first day back in office on January 20, 2025. He directed all federal DEI staff be placed on paid leave and, eventually, laid off. He has also signed another Executive Order, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity." DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, and refers to programs and committees that help people from underrepresented backgrounds (women, Indigenous, Black, for instance) get into, and stay in, jobs or courses those people wouldn't traditionally participate in. It is largely similar to the strategy of the Australian Universities Accord. President Trump has also cut funding to schools and universities that do not cancel DEI programs. He labelled the programs "radical," "wasteful" and said they demonstrate "immense public waste and shameful discrimination." The full effects of these Executive Orders and DEI changes are yet to be seen because decisions regarding DEI will ultimately be made by the court. However, private companies in the US have walked away from internal DEI programs, including Meta (which has worked closely with Trump as of late), Google (which provides some services to the US government), Pepsi, Disney and multiple prominent banks. There has been no significant walk away from DEI in Australian private companies, and many universities continue to discuss how to bolster and "future-proof" internal DEI programs. Australia's ambassador to the US from 2020 to 2023, Arthur Sinodinos, told the Universities Australia Solutions Summit last week that institutions are best off making decisions "based off their objectives," but should enact genuine change, not just tick diversity boxes. Arthur Sinodinos said DEI should be about achieving true diversity rather than ticking boxes. Picture: Sam Ruttyn "My view on DEI is that [universities should] start from a posture that they want to make the best use of all the talent and resources available to them," he said. "If you're also interested in trying to expand the reach of higher education to groups that might otherwise be disadvantaged, you have to find ways to do that, but in a way that also addresses the genuine issue. "I think access to higher education is still important for a country like Australia, which has to make – given its population – the best use of the resources it's got. "The argument that you can just leave it to the market, the meritocracy will still be there [is wrong]. Frankly, in the market, some people start with a head start with with inbuilt advantages." President Trump's former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who was also on the panel at the UA summit, said he thinks DEI programs in the US have gone "too far to one side." Former Trump White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said he thinks DEI has gone "too far" in the US. Picture: UA "One of the reasons you're seeing the pushback against it in my country is that it went too far to one side. I don't know where it is in this country, but at some point it may go too far, and the pushback will come." He also explained why this Trump term is already more action-packed than his first was at this time: the President expected to win in November, 2024, but not in 2016. "Not only did [Trump] expect to win, [his team has] been working for four years on what they would do when they won," he said. "What are we gonna do the first day? The first week, the first month, the first 100 days? Which is why we're seeing all these executive orders. It's actually four years worth of planning coming forward." Mr Mulvaney said he thinks DEI could survive if its reasoning for existing is communicated in a tailored way. He said Trump's administration is receptive to initiatives that improve efficiency, productivity and merit. "You could have a program that is good on on the climate, [for example,] but that's not your selling pitch. That doesn't register with the person you're talking to," he explained. Related stories: “Unis are not Centrelink offices”: Coalition’s pitch to university leaders | Q&A: Bill Shorten talks VC pay cuts and politics in HE | Report card: Accord recommendations 12 months on "You have to learn how to speak the language of the person you're talking to. Don't change what you're doing, perhaps just simply change how you explain it." UA chief executive Luke Sheehy was asked after his National Press Club address last Wednesday whether he thinks an "anti-woke" sentiment will affect how universities function. Luke Sheehy's membership body discussed the impact of "Trump 2.0" at last week's conference. Picture: UA "Obviously there's a major disruption that's happened in America with Trump 2.0 … One of the things we've learned is, once articulated in a certain way, positive sentiment skyrockets for universities," he responded. "If you offer a simple proposition: we have 4,000 fewer teachers than we need today ,and universities are the only way to get those skilled workers into the workforce to support young people; we need 132,000 more nurses, etc. "Then remove yourself from what happens on the front pages of newspapers and what occupies political pundits, and think about what the real Australian people need and want from the university sector. "My hope is that the more we talk about the important role of universities and our core mission in education and research, the more Australians, irrespective of whether or not they went to university or not, they see the value for us as part of our future." The university sector's declining "social license" has been a major topic of discussion of late for university leaders. There is a growing sentiment that universities, and the knowledge economy, needs to "show" society why they're worth the funding and enrolments. "We always have more work to do. In an era where there is declining trust in institutions, I think it's really important that universities invest in themselves in terms of how they engage with their communities," Mr Sheehy continued.