Victorian Minister for Skills and TAFE, Gayle Tierney, has announced the State Government will establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into the governance of Victorian universities – with a focus on elevating staff and student representation on university councils.
It follows the release of findings of a national Expert Panel on University Governance. The Minister said it was now clear university councils, which oversee the management of Victoria’s higher education institutions, “simply must do better”.
Ms Tierney said the Government fully supports the national plan to improve governance in the university sector, including by setting limits on Vice-Chancellor pay, and requiring university councils to publish their decisions and comply with long-established governance standards in the private sector.
And, similar to NSW, Victoria will establish a Parliamentary Inquiry to consider how best to implement the agreed national position to review university councils to ensure sufficient members with higher education sector expertise and student and staff voices.
The Parliamentary Inquiry will consider university accountability, council structures and options to enhance representation and engagement across the sector, including the role of students and staff in shaping the direction of their institutions.
“Victoria’s universities are one of our state’s greatest assets – and it’s time they better reflect the people who make them what they are,” said Minister Tierney.
“This will give students, staff, universities and other interested Victorians a chance to have a say about the most appropriate make-up of university councils.”
“This is about giving students and staff a seat at the table at the highest levels of our universities – making sure our world-class institutions are focused on education, not profit.”
The Final Report of the Expert Panel can be accessed here.
