教育制度中的社會正義必須從政策制訂的特別脈絡中去理解。本研究從澳洲自1980年代以來公布的高等教育政策文件之分析中，考掘其關於社會正義與教育機會均等的政策意向，以深入瞭解其高等教育政策中的正義觀念與實務的轉變情形，進而從分配正義與認肯正義這兩種取向來討論。最後，本研究的結論是結合「差異認肯」與適性能力取向的教育政策，有助於在今日高等教育從大眾化邁向普遍化的脈絡中，引導高等教育的學生機會均等及教育公平的落實。

Social justice in educational systems has to be understood in relation to particular contexts of policy enactment. This paper attempts to understand issues of equity and justice in Australian higher education policy since 1980s. It first of all provides a synoptic account of historically changing conceptions and practices of social justice and equality of educational opportunity in those important official reports. Subsequently, it explores the two different approaches to justice, that is, the most manifest distributive justice and recognitive justice based on the politics of difference. It concludes that recognition of difference justice combines capacity approach theory would contribute to the realization of student equity policy in higher education, in the context of the gradual shift from mass to universal participation of higher education.