These 10 institutions offer high quality teaching to over 447,000 students and outstanding research at the cutting edge of global innovation. They are also important pillars of NSW communities in metropolitan, rural and remote areas, contributing to their social, cultural and economic prosperity.

This inquiry follows a number of federal initiatives aimed at addressing concerns around university governance and related issues. These include:

• The Commonwealth Senate Employment and Education Legislation Committee’s inquiry into the quality of governance at Australian higher education providers – where UA made a submission and appeared during the 12 August 2025 hearing.
• The Expert Council on University Governance on which UA is represented, reporting to the Education Ministers including the NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning. The Council is anticipated to finalise recommendations on strengthening university governance before the end of 2025.
• The release of the Modernising and Strengthening TEQSA’s Powers consultation paper by the Department of Education which proposes increased federal oversight of university governance – UA will be making a submission to this consultation.

As representatives of university councils, the University Chancellors Council (UCC) are an important stakeholder which we encourage the committee to engage with on matters relating the university governance. We particularly commend the proactive work of the UCC in developing and updating its voluntary codes relating to governance practices including:

• Code of Governance Principles and Practice for Australia’s Public Universities
• Code of Executive Remuneration Principles and Practice for Australia’s Public Universities