Great countries have great institutions. But, after nearly forty years of pressure to become more “business like”, Australia’s universities’ governance structures are increasingly inappropriate for the size, structure, and goals of modern university management.

Governance in public higher education no longer focusses on education or the wellbeing of staff and students, but on maximising surpluses and enhancing the privileges and status of senior management.

To remedy these problems, this submission argues that the Acts which govern Australia’s universities should be reformed to ensure that university councils serve the Australian public’s need for the equitable provision of higher education. Refocusing the governance priorities of the sector back to education and the wellbeing of staff and students requires amending these establishing acts to clarify that universities should be run as educational institutions for the public good, and accountable to the public.