Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

You will be further surprised to hear that he goes on to say:

The Opposition has signalled its intention to move amendments in the Senate—

and they have done that today, I might add—

that would require all Australian universities to continue to comply with National Governance Protocols. Failure to comply would see universities incur a financial penalty of 7.5 per cent of block funds for teaching.

The protocols impose a one size fits all approach to university governance. They represent an out-dated and ideologically driven intrusion into the governance of Australia’s universities.

The debate over the protocols is not about accountability. There are many other mechanisms the Commonwealth has in place to ensure that taxpayers’ funds invested in universities are used appropriately. It is about whether it is appropriate for the Government of the day to dictate how universities manage their governance, or whether universities should be trusted to manage their own affairs.

The Go8 calls on the Senate to support the Government on this matter of principle and calls on the Opposition to review its policy to develop a more contemporary approach to its relations with universities.

These protocols are so prescriptive that they go down to such things as the number of members that can be on a university council. Surely a university can work out how many people should be on its council. Surely that is a matter for a university to work out. It is something that, in the 21st century, one would have thought we could rely on our universities to work out for themselves. I urge the Senate to reject these amendments and pass this legislation.