The state’s universities have “swung too far towards corporatisation” at the expense of education, research and serving communities, a NSW parliamentary inquiry has found.
asserted
inquiry → swing → education
Universities across NSW have embarked on controversial cost-cutting in the face of financial pressure, with many axing jobs, restructuring courses and spending big on external consultants.
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many → embark → consultants
The final upper house report into NSW university governance noted power over such decisions was often concentrated in a small group of managers and council members, with limited transparency over how decisions were reached.
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decisions → note → transparency
It made 23 recommendations to boost transparency, including that universities justify vice chancellor’s pay packets, and disclose bonuses, incentive arrangements and spending on consultants.
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universities → make → consultants
“The governance structures for NSW universities are not fit for purpose, nor implemented in such a way as to enable public confidence,” it said.
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it → implement → confidence
It noted how universities’ governing councils have become dominated by figures from the corporate world at the expense of academics with in-depth knowledge of the institutions.
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councils → note → institutions
The report called for legislative change so elected academic staff, professional staff and students represent a minimum of 50 per cent of governing councils.
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staff → call → councils
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare earlier this year announced a suite of transparency measures including requirements to disclose the outcomes of governing body meetings and decisions, and consultancy spending.
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Clare → announce → meetings
Selected key recommendations
Recommendation 2
That the NSW government, as part of its review of university enabling acts, consider amendments to the legislation to require university governing bodies to have regard to the wellbeing, health and safety of staff and students when exercising their functions and making significant strategic, organisational and operational decisions.
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government → select → decisions
Recommendation 3
That, in order to better protect the psychosocial safety of staff and address fears of reprisal, the NSW government, as part of its review of the enabling acts, consider how the legislation can provide checks and balances on the very significant power held by heads of school, deans and other senior leaders.
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legislation → protect → school
Recommendation 7
That the NSW government consider establishing an independent external mechanism through which university staff can confidentially raise governance, integrity and maladministration concerns, with appropriate whistleblower protections.
Recommendation 8
That the NSW government amend the enabling acts for all NSW universities to strengthen representative governance by increasing minimum requirements for 50 per cent elected academic staff, professional staff and student representation on university councils.
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government → consider → councils
Recommendation 11
That the NSW government amend the enabling legislation for each NSW university to require the establishment of an independent university council secretariat at each university, accountable to and operating under the direction of the university’s governing body rather than university management.
asserted
government → amend → management
Recommendation 14
That, to improve transparency in university council decision-making, the NSW government require NSW universities to publish the minutes of university council meetings, including the rationale for major decisions affecting staff and students, subject to appropriate confidentiality requirements.
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government → improve → requirements
Recommendation 15
That the NSW government improve legislative provisions for transparency and accountability in university executive decision-making.
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government → improve → making
Recommendation 16
That the NSW government: require universities to disclose in their annual reports in a standardised format the process and considerations by which remuneration for their vice chancellors and senior executives is determined, including key performance indicators, bonuses, incentive arrangements, allowances, loan arrangements, reimbursements and other material non-salary benefits.
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remuneration → require → indicators
Recommendation 18
That the NSW government prohibit NSW universities from providing staff or student data to private third-party organisations for sector-wide benchmarking, analytics or comparative performance products unless the explicit informed consent of affected staff and students has first been obtained, in line with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
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consent → prohibit → Research
Note: Recommendations have been edited for brevity.
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Recommendations → note → brevity
Academics told the inquiry that mass redundancies and restructures had created psychosocial risks.
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redundancies → tell → risks
At the University of New England, staff said the previous vice chancellor’s restructure in 2022 had created institutional disruption and a governance crisis.
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restructure → say → disruption
When a staff member died by suicide, many colleagues linked it directly to the dysfunctional work environment, the report said.
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report → die → environment
Another told the inquiry of the work environment: “It was like being in an abusive relationship.
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It → tell → relationship
We couldn’t leave because we needed our jobs.”
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we → leave → jobs
The report also called for an overhaul of NSW legislation governing universities to provide “checks and balances” on the very significant power held by heads of school, deans and other senior leaders.
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report → call → school
The chair of the inquiry, Labor upper house MP Sarah Kaine, said she believed the report was a road map for change.
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report → say → change
“If governments and universities fail to act, we risk further erosion of trust in institutions that are fundamental to our state’s future,” she said.
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she → fail → future
Universities Australia chair Professor Carolyn Evans last month acknowledged there had been instances of bullying, underpayment and conflicts of interests but rejected claims that all universities were in the middle of what had been termed a governance “crisis”.
uncertain
what → acknowledge → middle
“Most ordinary understandings of good governance [are] now beginning to be held against universities as a sign of poor governance,” she said.
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she → begin → governance
“And in particular, it is governance 101 to say that when revenue goes backwards, you have to do something to cut costs.”
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you → say → costs
Regarding board representation, she said they were a spectrum of the community with a wide range of skills and ideas “so that universities didn’t become too insular”.
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universities → regard → skills
The Aporia
