New National Principles to Guide University Governance and Accountability

The Expert Council on University Governance (the Council) was established by the Education Ministers Meeting (EMM) in 2024. The Council was established to support the strengthening of university governance, as identified in the July 2023 Interim Report of the Australian Universities Accord.

The Expert Council on University Governance – Final Report and Principles, released in September 2025 and authored by Melinda Cilento, Sharan Burrow and Bruce Cowley, sets out a new principles-based approach to improve how universities are governed. It follows increasing scrutiny of university management, wage underpayment, and student and staff wellbeing.

The Council’s report emphasises that governance reform is central to rebuilding public trust and maintaining universities’ “social licence” — especially amid concerns about executive remuneration, risk management and stakeholder engagement.

“Strengthening culture is key to sustainably lifting the governance performance of universities,” the authors wrote. “We encourage universities to proactively and genuinely adopt and implement the Principles in the context of the issues identified in the Report.”

The Education Ministers Meeting has indicated it will pursue legislative and regulatory changes to align with the new framework.

Key Recommendations

The report outlines several recommendations to ensure the Principles are embedded, monitored and enforced across the sector. The following recommendations are quoted from the Council’s final report:

Recommendation 1:

The Principles are implemented through annual reporting monitored by TEQSA.

To support the impact of the Principles in practice, the Council proposes:

• Mandatory annual public reporting against the Principles on an ‘if not why not’ basis.
• That TEQSA be tasked with evaluating performance against the Principles, taking as context this report, its key messages and supporting commentary.
• That TEQSA be tasked with developing additional guidance to aid in the adoption and implementation of the Principles and reporting against them.
• That TEQSA report on universities’ performance against the Principles.
• Where performance against the Principles is deemed to have fallen short, TEQSA should seek a response from the university and provide guidance on issues to be addressed. Universities will be expected to have adequately addressed issues identified by TEQSA in their reporting the following year.
• Failure to address issues identified by TEQSA should result in an escalation of consequences.
• That further work is required to determine how best to give regulatory/legislative effect to this approach, TEQSA’s role and an appropriate escalation in consequences in instances where reporting and action against the Principes is found by TEQSA to be inadequate.
• TEQSA’s role in implementing the Principles and the scope for appropriately calibrated consequences in response to inadequate implementation of the Principles be considered in the context of the current review of TEQSA’s powers.

Recommendation 2:

TEQSA is appropriately resourced for monitoring and evaluation of the Principles.

The Council considers that the Principles compliment and provide additional substance to TEQSA’s existing accreditation processes and therefore that this recommended approach provides the best path to limiting any duplication in effort. Assessing performance against the Principles does present new and additional work for the agency that needs to be acknowledged and resourced. The Council therefore recommends that:

• TEQSA be appropriately and adequately resourced for this additional work.
• Consideration be given to appointing a small (paid) advisory panel with governance expertise to assist TEQSA in its work assessing performance against the Principles.

Recommendation 3:

Education Ministers communicate expectations and consider reviewing their legislation and alignment with the Principles as applicable.

Noting the primacy of founding State and Territory legislative requirements for university governance, the Council recommends that:

• Education Ministers communicate clearly their expectations regarding adoption of the Principles.
• Education Ministers consider reviewing their legislation and regulations against the Principles and consider legislative reform to align with the Principles where that will reduce regulatory duplication and complexity and enhance adoption of the Principles. The size of many governing bodies, as dictated by legislation, has been identified as a challenge to best practice.
• Education Ministers consider mandating staff and student elected representatives on university governing bodies where it is not already legislated.

Recommendation 4:

The Expert Council on University Governance be tasked with ongoing review and assessment of the Principles.

It will be important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the Principles and to ensure they remain relevant and up to date. It is recommended that:

• The Council be tasked with the ongoing review and assessment of the aggregate effectiveness of the Principles and with undertaking a formal review of the Principles every 4 years, or earlier at the request of the Federal Education Minister.

Recommendation 5:

 That Education Ministers consult on appointments to university governing bodies

To ensure that university governing bodies have the desired and necessary diversity, skills and experience, the Council recommends that:

• The Federal Education Minister seek the agreement of State and Territory Education Ministers to consider the skill matrix of the university governing body and consult with the Chancellor to guide Ministerial appointments to the governing body.
• Chancellors regularly meet with their Education Minister to keep them apprised of governing body membership (including early visibility of upcoming vacancies and the types of skills needed by the current governing body), risks, and areas of note.

Recommendation 6:

That the sector evolves and promotes best practice in university governance

Noting the importance of promulgating best practice, the Council recommends that:

• Universities Australia consider and advance the positive role it can play in promoting information sharing on governance best practice including, for instance, showcasing examples of best or improved practice, such as those that were shared with the Council. Improved transparency should be an area of first focus.

Recommendation 7:

Examine existing support for student and staff elected representatives on governing bodies and their capacity for consultation with the student body

The challenge of student and staff representatives in consulting broadly with their diverse constituents’ points to the value in:

• Examining the adequacy of current supports for student and staff representative bodies to enable them to consult with the wider student and staff bodies and develop positions on issues important to them.

Recommendation 8:Education Ministers may give further consideration to remuneration benchmarking

Principle 8.2 provides a clear framework for strengthening the determination and transparency of remuneration outcomes. However, there may be benefit in more clearly and formally linking remuneration outcomes to external public sector benchmarks. Should Education Ministers wish to pursue this approach, the Council recommends that:

• The Education Department work with the UCC to agree a preferred approach and requirements for implementation.

A New Era for Public University Governance

The Council’s work forms part of the Australian Universities Accord’s Priority Action 5, which seeks to make universities “better places to study and work” while ensuring they are accountable, ethical and inclusive. It builds on the sector’s voluntary governance codes but adds new expectations for transparency, stakeholder engagement and oversight by TEQSA — the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

For universities, the message is clear: governance must evolve from a compliance exercise to a culture of openness and accountability.

As the report concludes, “Transparency at every stage and reporting, coupled with open and positive stakeholder engagement, should accelerate support for and confidence in the Principles and contribute positively to university governance.”

The Eight Principles for Stronger University Governance

The eight principles outlined in the report are as follows:

Universities Australia Response

Universities Australia Acknowledged the report over the weekend with CEO Luke Sheehy saying that the principles outlined in the Expert Council’s report provide a strong foundation for uplifting university governance across the system.

“Effective and contemporary approaches to governance are essential for strong universities,” Mr Sheehy said.

“We support strengthening our governance arrangements to help every student and staff member feel safe and supported, and ensure universities continue to meet the expectations of the communities they serve.

“We’ll continue to work closely with the government on implementation – ensuring reforms deliver the intended results while balancing the ongoing and increasing regulatory burden on universities,” he said.

Mr Sheehy also acknowledged the constructive and collaborative nature of the Council’s work.

“I thank the Council’s Chair, Ms Melinda Cilento, and members Ms Sharan Burrow AC and Mr Bruce Cowley for their leadership and contribution,” he said.

“This has been a valuable opportunity to reflect on what’s working well and where we can further strengthen governance culture and practice to meet the realities of 2025 and beyond,” he said.

Mr Sheehy said Universities Australia will continue to work with government on the implementation of principles by states and territories, and on any future changes to the powers of the national regulator.

“We welcome the opportunity for a nationally consistent approach and will work closely with government and ministers on the next steps,” he said.