Please join us for the RC Mills Memorial Lecture 2024. RC Mills was a pioneer of Australian economics and instrumental in establishing Australia’s post-war system of tertiary education. The University of Sydney is delighted to re-establish this annual lecture in Professor Mills’ honour.

Tertiary education access and funding in the 2020s: the importance of good economics, data and methods

Professor Lorraine Dearden from University College London will deliver the public lecture focused on a global public policy issue of our day – how best to fund tertiary education to strike the right balance between equitable access, high-quality and efficient delivery, and economic progress?

About our speaker

Professor Dearden is a global leader in tertiary education access and funding, having contributed as a young Australian economist to the analysis underlying the 1980s reforms and then pursuing such research over subsequent decades. Her research also includes evaluating education policies in the UK, USA, Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia.

Lorraine Dearden has been a Professor of Economics and Social Statistics at UCL since 2015. In 2021, she won the prestigious Economics and Social Research Council Impact Prize for Public Policy for empirical and policy work used to reform student loans in Colombia.

Who was Richard Charles Mills?

RC Mills was Professor and Dean of Economics at the University of Sydney from 1922 until 1945, where he made important contributions in the areas of tariff protection, money and banking, and Australian fiscal federalism. He was Chairman of the Universities Commission from 1942, chaired the Interim Commission to establish the Australian National University, and advocated for continuing financial assistance for university students, giving rise to the Commonwealth scholarships scheme.

The RC Mills Memorial Lecture honours his legacy and focuses on education policy, regulation, and funding, echoing his vision for advancing academic standards.

The RC Mills Building was constructed in 1949 and stands at the corner of Fisher Road and Physics Road on the University of Sydney's Camperdown campus.

📅 Event details

Date: Thursday 30 May 2024
6pm: Arrival and refreshments
6.30pm - 7.30pm: Lecture
7.30pm: Canapés and refreshments
Venue: Sybil Auditorium, the Sybil Centre at the Women's College, Camperdown, NSW, 2050. Entrance is via Western Avenue.

⭐ While admission is complimentary, we kindly ask you register by Monday 20 May to secure your place.

Getting there

As there are limited parking options for drivers on campus we encourage the of environmentally friendly ways to get to campus such as using public transport or ride share options such as Uber.

Train | Redfern is the closest train station to the Sybil Centre. It is a 20-minute walk.

Bus | If you are arriving by bus, there are stops at main campus entrances on Parramatta Rd and City Rd. Use the campus map to locate the closest bus stop to your destination.

Taxi/Uber | Destination: The Sybil Centre, Camperdown NSW, Australia

Wilson Parking | Parking may be available in the following Wilson car parks:
Royal Prince Alfred Medical Centre (entry via Elizabeth Street off Carillon)
Lifehouse Car Park, Camperdown Sydney (entry via Susan Street)

Casual parking on campus |The University is a paid parking area at all times. There is limited parking on Camperdown/Darlington campuses. Please read the following carefully if you plan to drive and park on campus.
Casual parking is available at a rate of $4 per hour, up to a maximum charge of $24 per day. We have a paperless system, using licence plate recognition technology. No parking tickets are required. No paper receipts are provided. You will need to take a photo of the final screen showing a URL address to contact to obtain a parking receipt.

The University provides a number of payment methods to park on campus; Parking Meter Machines accept:
EFT (credit card) payments
EFT and coins
EFT, cash and coins

‘Alternate Pay Stations Locations’ map located next to all parking meter machines to show the location of all parking meter machines on campus and the type of payment accepted. Please note that the machines do not provide change, and the University does not offer refunds.

Download the CellOPark app onto your mobile phone and add register your vehicle licence plate and credit card to pay for parking. All parking meter machines have a sticker advertising the CellOPark app.
If a parking meter machine is not working you will need to locate another parking meter machine to make payment or download the CelloPark app.

The University is a paid parking area at all times. Payment must be made to park on campus. Failure to purchase a paid parking session may incur a fine. Click here for further information about getting to campus.