^aZhongshan University 721-506, Xingangxi Road 135, Guangzhou 510275, China

Correspondence: Shengrong Chen, E-mail: csr188@126.com

Abstract

Universities are playing an increasingly more important role in society. Australia and China are great countries in the world with Australia being a model for western and English-speaking culture and China representing an eastern culture. This article looks at both of the countries, comparing and discussing university values, governance and changing trends. The article raises some new views or theories about higher education development. For example, the concept of broad-sense knowledge; interaction has a strategic position and meaning for university development; efficiency of innovation, mastering and applying knowledge are the most important factors for a country's competitiveness and so on. At the international level, it is highly important for the university-enterprise to look at research as the key to developing universities in Australia; it is also more important to develop higher education more quickly and better in China. The university-enterprise will be the main trend to develop higher education. It will become the fourth stage for university development in the world.