Parliamentary inquiry into university governance, 2025 federal election priorities: Latest rundown of higher education

From our Chief Executive Officer

Where to start – my prediction a couple of weeks ago that 2025 would be no less frantic than last year is already coming true. We are in the thick of it, and it’s not even February.?

The rumoured parliamentary inquiry into university governance was formally announced this week, reinforcing that this is a key area of focus for the Parliament in 2025. Good governance is essential for strong universities, and we welcome any opportunity to improve how our complex organisations are run.

That said, this Senate inquiry adds to several government-led initiatives already underway that UA is engaged in. We will, of course, participate constructively in this additional forum, but what matters most is keeping the focus on real improvements and outcomes – and that’s cutting red tape so universities can strengthen governance and deliver for students, staff and communities.

We know that executive remuneration will be looked at as part of the inquiry. This is certainly a hot topic, with Senator Jacqui Lambie indicating this week that she will introduce bills to cut and cap vice-chancellor’s salaries.

My strong view is that this is a distraction from the real conversation we need to have about policies and funding to keep our universities strong so they can continue delivering for students, communities and the nation. It’s not lost me on that vice-chancellors have complex and demanding jobs.

You lead major organisations that drive local economies, support thousands of staff and students, champion fair access and power world-class research, all while serving as a critical part of their communities. Universities also generate significant private revenue streams which are reinvested in support of Australian jobs, education and research. They are an indispensable part of the economy and our future.

Regrettably, that remuneration is a focal point tells us that, like last year, our sector is being used as a political plaything rather than a policy priority. If we’re serious about preparing our nation for the future, with a more highly skilled workforce and more R&D, that needs to change, and quickly.

Next week, the UA Board is coming together for a full-day strategy meeting which I’m really looking forward to. We will be spending a lot of it focusing on the next 12 months – how UA navigates the federal election and the first months of a new parliamentary term, including our policy positions on portfolio and broader issues.

As I have said before, universities are central to achieving both Labor and the Coalition’s visions for the nation. That’s why we will be positioning ourselves as part of the national conversation and taking every opportunity to reinforce how our sector can help the next Government achieve its goals – from building a stronger economy and easing cost-of-living pressures to managing the energy transition and delivering quality healthcare and services.

Parliament returns next week, and we will be engaging across the political divide on your behalf. I have various meetings scheduled with key government and opposition members and senators, as well as a briefing scheduled with the full crossbench on our 2025 federal election priorities.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who voted in the Shaping Australia Awards. We had almost 32,000 votes cast in the people’s choice category which is just terrific – and a real testament to the high standard of finalists.

These awards are in just their second year and continue to go from strength to strength. We’ll be announcing all the winners at our gala dinner in February (part of the Solutions Summit – register today if you haven’t already). My thanks to Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM and our esteemed panel of judges for their involvement in this year’s awards.

I’ll leave it there for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead of another busy week!

Luke Sheehy

Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia