Australia forms expert council amid rising university underpayments

'There have been far too many examples of universities underpaying staff,' minister says

Australia forms expert council amid rising university underpayments

The Australian government is forming a new Expert Council on University Governance in a bid to address the rising cases of underpayments in the country's tertiary sector.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the council will provide expert and technical governance advice on how to improve university governance and performance.

"As highlighted by the Universities Accord, university governance arrangements have been inadequate, particularly as they relate to universities being good employers," Clare said in a statement.

"There have been far too many examples of universities underpaying staff and failing their responsibilities as employers."

Education ministers across the country appointed the following individuals as the government-nominated representatives:

  • Ms. Melinda Cilento, Chair 
  • Ms. Sharan Burrow AC 
  • Mr. Bruce Cowley

Representatives from the following organisations will also be present to complete the Expert Council of 10. They include:

  • University Chancellors Council 
  • Australian Institute of Company Directors 
  • Governance Institute of Australia 
  • Australian Indigenous Governance Institute 
  • Law Council of Australia 
  • Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency 
  • Universities Australia

Luke Sheehy, chief executive officer of Universities Australia, said they will support every effort to ensure campuses are safe and welcoming spaces to work and study.

"Good governance is crucial for good universities, and every opportunity to embrace best practice in the oversight of such complex organisations is to be welcomed," he said in a statement.

Addressing underpayments

Among the functions of the Expert Council is to ensure that universities are good employers and employees have the confidence that they will not be underpaid, according to Clare.

"This includes ensuring rigorous and transparent processes for developing remuneration policies and settings for senior university staff," the minister said.

Numerous universities across Australia have been confessing to underpaying many of their employees over the past years. They include the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, Monash University, University of Queensland, among others.

Underpayments at Australian universities have reached $382 million as of June 2024, according to the National Tertiary Education Union.

The government this year implemented new wage theft laws that make intentional underpayment of wages a criminal offence.

It adds to the government's other efforts in deterring underpayments, such as issuing new guidance and requirements on workplace obligations for higher education providers.

"The government will also require universities to provide additional data on casual staff numbers to increase transparency and understanding of workforce patterns and issues," Clare said.