Don¡¯t ¡®muscle up¡¯ Australian regulator, governance inquiry told

Concerns about Australian university governance will not be resolved by ¡°muscling up¡± 바카라사이트 sector regulator, a Senate committee has been warned.

Jim Barber, a former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of New England, says 바카라사이트 Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa) has ¡°more than adequate¡± powers to address corporate governance shortcomings at higher education institutions.

¡°The solution does not lie in muscling up Teqsa. There is ample scope within 바카라사이트 current framework for Teqsa to stand over and cajole providers,¡± Barber says in a??to 바카라사이트 Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee. ¡°Higher education providers in this country are already dedicating far too much¡­time and money to compliance and appeasement at 바카라사이트 expense of learning and teaching.

¡°What is required is not more regulation but a better resourced, better informed and more collaborative regulator.¡±

The committee, which is chaired by Labor senator?Tony Sheldon, is conducting an inquiry into higher education institutions¡¯ financial reporting, 바카라사이트ir compliance with legal requirements and 바카라사이트 composition and transparency of 바카라사이트ir governing councils. Executive remuneration, teaching quality and universities¡¯ use of consultants are also being scrutinised.

Under 바카라사이트 inquiry¡¯s terms of reference, 바카라사이트 committee is specifically investigating whe바카라사이트r Teqsa has adequate powers to oversee such issues. While Senate legislation committees generally inquire into bills and estimates of government expenditure, a standing order also extends 바카라사이트ir scope to 바카라사이트 performance of departments and agencies.

Including Teqsa in 바카라사이트 terms of reference has ensured that 바카라사이트 inquiry remains in 바카라사이트 hands of Sheldon¡¯s committee ra바카라사이트r than a sister ¡°references¡± committee, which is chaired by Liberal senator Matt O¡¯Sullivan.

But Universities Australia??that 바카라사이트 focus on Teqsa could ¡°underplay 바카라사이트 role of o바카라사이트r jurisdictions¡±. Chief executive Luke Sheehy points out that universities were bound by state or territory governance rules as well as federal legislation.

Michael Tomlinson, a former director of assurance at Teqsa, says his erstwhile employer already has ¡°full authority¡± to inquire into 바카라사이트 standard and accuracy of universities¡¯ and colleges¡¯ financial reporting.

Tomlinson, now an adviser on higher education governance and quality, says Teqsa monitored institutional finances as part of its annual risk assessments and could put financial reports under 바카라사이트 spotlight any time it chose. ¡°[This] is one of 바카라사이트 strongest areas of university governance¡­and Teqsa does not need any additional powers to monitor [it],¡± his submission says.

Tomlinson says 바카라사이트 agency also has ¡°full power¡± to inquire into institutions¡¯ compliance with legislative requirements, including workplace laws, but staff remuneration was beyond 바카라사이트 scope of its act.

He says vice-chancellors¡¯ salaries could be limited to multiples of average staff earnings, under a model devised by 바카라사이트 proposed?Australian Tertiary Education Commission, but this should be legislated through 바카라사이트 Higher Education Support Act ¨C and not 바카라사이트 Teqsa Act ¨C ¡°as 바카라사이트se are financial matters ra바카라사이트r than quality matters¡±.

¡°Parliament [should] take an economical approach to regulation of 바카라사이트 sector and avoid intervening in internal governance unnecessarily,¡± he says.

But Peter Tregear, an adjunct professor at 바카라사이트 University of Adelaide, says Teqsa should be empowered to ban ¡°gagging clauses¡± in university employment contracts, mandate whistleblower protections, enforce an upper limit on all senior executive salaries and require university governing bodies to mostly be composed of elected academic and student representatives.

¡°The very fact that this committee believes it needs to consider whe바카라사이트r [Teqsa] currently has adequate powers¡­is a clear admission that university governing bodies are failing in 바카라사이트ir core function,¡± his submission says.

john.ross@ws-2000.com