 Debates are argued addressing the role of how existing higher education institutions fit into the concept of the learning society.Despite the traditional argument that the learning society eschews traditional institutions, some advocates of the concept reaffirm the role of universities as being central to where the learning society begins and argue that “the university’s role in society is precisely to learn and understand itself and its environment...The more it addresses the concerns of society in its research, and the more it widens access to all members of society to benefit from the fruits of the research, the more it supports a genuine ‘learning society’” 

In September 2010, newly elected Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard reflected the growing diversification of the education sector in her cabinet, by abandoning the role of a traditional ‘Education Minister’ and instead subsuming the role of higher education into a ministerial portfolio that also included jobs, skills and workplace relations – this move was criticised by many high-profile universities in Australia who argued that it undermined the central role of higher education as a place for learning in society.Further, advocates of the ‘Learning Society’ also call upon partnerships between public and private enterprises to expand the scope of education to allow for more powerful educational learning experiences inside and outside of traditional institutions.