Equity in higher education often focuses on increasing access to university. The higher education equity debate in Australia requires broadening beyond a focus on access, to consider academic achievement and graduate outcomes. This trajectory, beginning with access, leading on to achievement and concluding with graduate outcomes, we call the "higher education continuum". Different equity groups are disadvantaged at different points of the continuum. We use the Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) group as a case study. People from a NESB are well represented at university, but typically under-achieve and then face relatively poor employment outcomes.