Recent media reports have highlighted serious allegations of misconduct in the higher education sector, including concerns about unethical conduct by university management. There is growing evidence that some university managers may be disregarding core academic values and behaving in ways that are incompatible with the ethical standards expected of them.
The Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP) has long expressed concern about the erosion of academic values in universities resulting from inappropriate managerial behaviours. We note that there have been reports of senior university managers engaging in conduct that may raise questions about conflicts of interest, such as receiving secondary salaries or benefits from external sources.
We believe that it is essential for universities to be governed in a way that prioritizes academic values, recognises their nature as a vital public service, and allocates public funding accordingly to restore continued public trust.
We call on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate these allegations and determine whether there is evidence of systemic misconduct (e.g., misuse of funds, power and policy abuse, deprivation of information, serious contraventions of staff’s health, well-being, and safety, and violation of human rights, among others) in the university sector. It is crucial that any investigation is conducted transparently and in full public view, to ensure that the public interest is protected and that academic values are restored as the guiding principles for university governance.
The Council of the Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP)
www.professoriate.org