A major review of higher education has urged immediate reforms, including improved governance and better treatment of staff and students. The Fair Work Ombudsman has criticized the sector for underpaying staff by over $83 million. Other issues include poor English-language standards, academic misconduct, IT failures and questionable executive appointments.
In a bold move to revamp Australia’s higher education sector, a major review has urged universities’ governing councils to take immediate action to ensure their institutions offer a safe and conducive environment for both work and study.
According to the first draft of the Accord Interim Report released recently, the federal government is expected to introduce a set of five pivotal actions. This includes the enhancement of governance measures and requiring boards to give greater weight to expertise in higher education.
This pivotal action comes on the back of criticism by Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker, who has expressed serious concerns about the consistent underpayment of staff across the sector. Universities have confessed to underpaying staff by over AU$83 million (around US$56.4 million), with the Ombudsman reaching out to 27 of the 42 universities in 2020, citing “entrenched non-compliance” with workplace agreements.
Moreover, the higher education sector has been criticized for large-scale casualization of academic staff leading to numerous layoffs during the pandemic. Students found themselves with minimal academic support, studying remotely with poor campus experiences as universities shifted their focus on capitalizing from international student income for research purposes.
The draft report emphatically states that the welfare of students and staff needs to be a top priority, urging governing bodies to become model employers. Other issues plaguing the sector include poor English-language standards, academic misconduct, IT failures, overcompensation of vice-chancellors, and dubious appointments of senior executives and chancellors.
Education Minister Jason Clare will release the report, emphasizing that student enrolment numbers are projected to double to 1.8 million by 2050. According to his speech notes, he will underline the need for universities to intensify their efforts in increasing participation and completion rates among disadvantaged students.
The review panel led by Professor Mary O’Kane identified four other areas needing urgent attention. These include guaranteed admissions for Indigenous students regardless of their geographical location, an extension of interim funding arrangements for universities for two years, abandoning the 50 percent fail rule, and additional funding of $67 million (around US$45.5 million) for the creation of 34 regional university centers.
Critics of the so-called “corporatization” of universities are likely to view these changes favorably. The current composition of the Australian Chancellors Committee, for instance, features only one academic among its 38 members, a point of contention among academic community.
