Today, the Final Report of the Inquiry into the Quality of Governance at Australian Higher Education Providers has been released. Following five public hearings, hundreds of submissions, and countless hours of work from brave staff, students, unionists, and activists, this Report and the work of the Committee shines a light on the governance rot that is hollowing out our public universities.
The Report makes clear the crisis we are facing, but disappointingly, the recommendations fall short of the overhaul that is required. The Australian Greens have provided Additional Comments and recommendations that address these gaps.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Greens and spokesperson for Higher Education:
“The final report exposes the depth and breadth of failed leadership, corporate rot and consultant capture decaying our public universities. Arrogant executives indulge in obscene pay packets and big consultancies feast on public money, while the people who teach, research, support students and hold the university together are overworked, underpaid and exploited.
“While the report is a scathing indictment on the corporatisation of universities and the severity of the crisis at hand, it falls short of providing remedies that match the systemic overhaul needed to end the era of managerial bloat and unaccountable opaque governance.
“The corporate university has utterly failed its communities. It is high time we return to higher education as a public good, not a market for profit-seeking firms and austerity-obsessed executives. Our universities must be institutions grounded in equity, democracy, accountability, and transparency, empowered to pursue research and education in the public interest.
“The failures of governance in universities go hand in hand with decades of underfunding by governments, most viciously exemplified by the fee hikes and funding cuts of the JRG scheme, which have been widely condemned and yet still not been reversed by the Labor government.
“The government must commit to substantially increasing funding to universities to catch up with the OECD average, starting by dumping the disastrous JRG scheme’s fee hikes and funding cuts.
“I want to thank the staff, students and their unions who have spoken up and called time on a rotten system, despite the risk of retribution from university management. It is because of their courage that we can hope to finally see some change.
“It is imperative that the Government listen to the damning evidence provided to this inquiry, take seriously the recommendations being made by staff and students, and act with urgency to turn things around.”
Australian Greens Recommendations
Recommendation 1: That the Australian Tertiary Education Commission’s foundational legislation should clearly articulate the public mission and the educational, social, and civic functions of a public university sector.
Recommendation 2: That the establishing acts of universities be amended to clarify that their central purpose is public research and education, not commercial or corporate performance.
Recommendation 3: That the Australian Government immediately reverse the Job-ready Graduates Package fee hikes and funding cuts.
Recommendation 4: That the meetings of all university councils and governing bodies be held in public and be livestreamed online.
Recommendation 5: That all higher education provider governing bodies reflect the community’s diversity including First Nations peoples, Culturally and Racially Marginalised people, LGBTIQA+ people and people with disabilities.
Recommendation 6: That the majority of members on university governing bodies have public administration and higher education expertise.
Recommendation 7: That a minimum membership requirement of at least 50 per cent democratically elected staff and student representatives (including undergraduate and postgraduate students) be set for governing bodies.
Recommendation 8: That, in addition to council minutes, reports produced for council and annual self-performance reviews be published on university websites.
Recommendation 9: That complaints processes be examined and enhanced by working with students, staff and student bodies.
Recommendation 10: That the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s Higher Education Standards Framework be amended to include a consultation framework for how universities meaningfully involve, consult and work with students and staff as partners in major change proposals and governance, prior to decisions being made.
Recommendation 11: That to limit the use of consultants and outsourcing at universities, an appropriate Federal government agency develops principles for this purpose that prioritise in-house expertise.
Recommendation 12: That Federal government funding to public universities be increased in order to fully fund universities and make them free, starting by increasing funding to at least the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average.
Recommendation 13: That universities implement protections for whistleblowers and student activists, including the establishment of a Whistleblower Protection Authority, and protect the right of students and staff to protest on university campuses.
Recommendation 14: Require all public universities to adopt transparent ethical investment and procurement policies, with binding commitments to divest from weapons manufacturers, fossil fuel corporations, and gambling industries.
Recommendation 15: Establish a publicly accessible register of all university partnerships, sponsorships, and funding arrangements with corporations and external entities, including the nature and value of the partnership.
Recommendation 16: Increase PhD stipends to above the minimum wage.
