Victoria has become the latest Australian jurisdiction to launch an inquiry into university governance, saying boards ¡°simply must do better¡±.

Skills minister Gayle Tierney the Victorian government would establish a parliamentary inquiry into the governance of the state¡¯s universities, ¡°with a focus on elevating staff and student representation¡±.

She said the probe would examine options ¡°to enhance representation and engagement across the sector, including the role of students and staff in shaping the direction of their institutions¡±.

The inquiry would also look into governing council ¡°structures¡± and university accountability. ¡°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,¡± Tierney said.

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¡°It is about giving students and staff a seat at the table at the highest levels of our universities ¨C making sure our world-class institutions are focused on education, not profit.¡±

New South Wales launched a similar parliamentary inquiry in August. At the federal level, university governance is being scrutinised by the Senate Education and Employment Committee and a government-appointed Expert Council on University Governance.

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The expert council has proposed changes to governing bodies among a suite of recommendations published on 20 October. It says education ministers should consult on appointments to ensure that university governing bodies have ¡°the desired and necessary diversity, skills and experience¡±.

Universities should also appraise the support given to student and staff representatives ¡°and their capacity for consultation¡± with their stakeholders.

The expert council¡¯s riding instructions, endorsed by federal, state and territory education ministers in early 2024, included ensuring a minimum of ¡°one or more¡± representatives of both staff and students on university councils, whose composition should ¡°reflect the diversity of the Australian community and the specific characteristics of the university community they serve¡±.

Tierney said Victoria¡¯s inquiry would ¡°consider how best to implement¡± the ¡°agreed national position¡± to ensure representation of students and staff on university councils.

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Victoria also ¡°fully supports the national plan to improve governance¡­including by setting limits on vice-chancellor pay and requiring university councils to publish their decisions¡±, she said.

The Victorian division of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), which has been for months, said Tierney¡¯s announcement marked a ¡°significant victory¡±.

¡°The inquiry provides a vital opportunity to reform a broken governance system that has marginalised staff and student voices and undermined Victorian universities as institutions of education and research,¡± said the division¡¯s assistant secretary, Joo-Cheong Tham.

¡°The NTEU will be advocating for increased staff and student representation on university councils and effective mechanisms where staff and students ¨C particularly through their elected representatives ¨C can engage in an open dialogue with university leadership.¡±

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Victorian secretary Sarah Roberts said staff and students ¡°deserve a seat at the table where decisions about their futures are made¡±.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com