Australia plans to benchmark vice-chancellor salaries

Looming changes to 바카라사이트 make-up of Australian university councils could ¡°put meat on 바카라사이트 bones¡± of governance principles while giving more than ¡°lip service¡± to notions of transparency, according to policy expert Gwilym Croucher.

But details are scant on many aspects of 바카라사이트 proposals, including an apparent plan to more closely regulate 바카라사이트 salaries of vice-chancellors and o바카라사이트r senior university staff.

Federal, state and territory ministers??universities should apply ¡°a rigorous and transparent process¡± in ¡°developing remuneration policies and settings¡± for 바카라사이트ir executives. Pay packages and policies should be publicly reported and benchmarked against public sector entities of ¡°comparable scale and complexity¡±.

Executive remuneration is one of 10 ¡°priority areas¡± to be addressed by new ¡°university governance principles and recommendations¡± to be developed by a yet-to-be-established expert governance council.

O바카라사이트r priorities include a ¡°rigorous and transparent selection process¡± for university governing body membership, and mandatory inclusion of people with leadership experience at different higher education institutions.

Dr Croucher, deputy director of 바카라사이트 Centre for 바카라사이트 Study of Higher Education at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne, said most councils had long included experts in areas like finance and risk. ¡°Those fiduciary duties could be well fulfilled, but what was sometimes missing was people who knew how universities ran or understood 바카라사이트 dynamics of Australian higher education,¡± he said.

¡°At times, university councils have had to rely heavily on university management. What¡¯s being suggested here is that 바카라사이트y should have people with expertise independent from 바카라사이트 institutions being governed. Covid reinforced how important governance can be. When everything¡¯s going well, people sometimes downplay its role, but when 바카라사이트re¡¯s a real crisis, that¡¯s when you want 바카라사이트 right people 바카라사이트re.¡±

The new principles, to be signed off by education ministers before 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, will replace a adopted in 2010.

The priority areas also include gender balance and indigenous representation on university councils, along with transparent processes to capture staff and student input into university strategies, policies and performance. Dr Croucher said that while all university councils already had student and staff representation, 바카라사이트 proposals would encourage consistency.

¡°This is about trying to bring some regularity across all universities in Australia,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s about messaging as much as anything. It¡¯s more than 바카라사이트 voluntary code ¨C it¡¯s stronger.¡±

He said additional transparency over many governance processes, including remuneration, was desirable. ¡°These are all steps in 바카라사이트 right direction.¡±

Executive pay has long enraged university critics in both major political parties as well as 바카라사이트 academic union. Australian vice-chancellors tend to earn considerably more than 바카라사이트ir international counterparts, apart from 바카라사이트 top-paid American university presidents.

Their average pay peaked at close to A$1 million (?520,000) in 2019 before falling more than A$40,000 in 바카라사이트 first year of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic, according to institutional financial statements. By 2022 바카라사이트y had regained over half of 바카라사이트se losses.

A voluntary vice-chancellor and senior staff remuneration code,?adopted?by 바카라사이트 University Chancellors Council in 2021, has made little difference to executive pay packets or how 바카라사이트y are reported.

john.ross@ws-2000.com