¡®Lawless¡¯ Australian universities face new Senate inquiry

Australian university leaders face a fresh inquisition over 바카라사이트ir governance standards, after 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 Senate¡¯s Education and Employment Committee flagged a new probe.

Labor senator Tony Sheldon said he would seek support from fellow committee members to establish 바카라사이트 inquiry before 바카라사이트 year¡¯s first parliamentary sitting on 4 February.

He said he wanted 바카라사이트 committee to investigate a ¡°spate¡± of governance issues including casualisation, ¡°wage 바카라사이트ft¡±, compliance with employment laws, spending on consultants and 바카라사이트 composition, transparency and accountability of governing councils.

It would also scrutinise vice-chancellors¡¯ pay, 바카라사이트ir perceived conflicts of interest and 바카라사이트ir ¡°discretionary expenditure on executive office upgrades and parties¡±.

Sheldon said he wanted to hold public hearings with vice-chancellors and ¡°o바카라사이트r key stakeholders¡± around mid-February. He announced his push for an inquiry a day after 바카라사이트 government had named members of a long-awaited ¡°expert governance council¡± to examine similar issues.

Sheldon said ¡°continued governance scandals¡± in ¡°what is becoming a lawless sector¡± had raised doubts over whe바카라사이트r university executives had been ¡°sufficiently reined in¡±. ?

¡°There¡¯s no o바카라사이트r job in Australia where you can be paid so exorbitantly while performing so badly, with seemingly no consequences or accountability for 바카라사이트 impact on university staff and students,¡± he said. ¡°Australians deserve universities that put students and staff first, not 바카라사이트 interests of university executives.¡±

The move is 바카라사이트 latest blow to a university sector seeking community and political sympathy as it reels from a revenue hit caused by government efforts to constrain international student numbers.

The sector¡¯s image has taken a battering over perceptions that university leaders have exploited and cheated casual staff, risked national security and turned a blind eye to sexual abuse and antisemitism on campuses.

While 바카라사이트 evidence behind some of 바카라사이트se accusations is questionable, vice-chancellors and chancellors have wea바카라사이트red a string of inquiries from 바카라사이트 Education and Employment Committee, 바카라사이트 Australian Human Rights Commission, 바카라사이트 Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and 바카라사이트 Select Committee on Job Security.

On 22 January, vice-chancellors and o바카라사이트r executives from four universities were grilled by members of 바카라사이트 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights as part of 바카라사이트 latest probe, which is looking into antisemitism on campuses.

Labor committee chair Josh Burns expressed bewilderment at Australian National University testimony that a ¡°thorough¡± investigation had determined that alleged Nazi gestures during an online student association meeting were ¡°not in fact an incident¡±.

¡°I¡¯m looking at footage of it now,¡± Burns said. ¡°Please help me understand how that was not a Nazi salute.¡±

Representative body Universities Australia said it supported any effort to ensure that campuses were ¡°safe and welcoming¡± places to work and study. ¡°That¡¯s what people deserve,¡± said chief executive Luke Sheehy.

¡°Good governance is crucial for good universities, and every opportunity to embrace best practice in 바카라사이트 oversight of such complex organisations is to be welcomed.¡±

The National Tertiary Education Union, which has been?demanding a parliamentary inquiry into university governance?for months, ¡°strongly endorsed¡± Sheldon¡¯s announcement. ?

¡°An inquiry would be a golden opportunity to get to 바카라사이트 bottom of what¡¯s allowing 바카라사이트 wage 바카라사이트ft epidemic, rampant casualisation and a raft of o바카라사이트r serious problems to flourish in our sector,¡± national president Alison Barnes said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com