FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 June 2026
Peak national academic body still awaits an invitation to testify at the final hearing into the NSW university sector
Two major inquiries — the Senate Inquiry into Quality of Governance at Australian Higher Education Providers, and the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the University Sector — have highlighted ongoing questions regarding university governance, council accountability, and institutional reporting obligations.
Yet as the NSW Standing Committee on Social Issues prepares for its final public hearing on 13 July 2026, the country’s peak independent body of senior academics has not been invited to speak.
Documented Engagement
The Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP) has consistently sought formal recognition in oversight processes shaping university governance:
· Written repeatedly to Minister Jason Clare, the Australian Tertiary Education Commission and the Expert Council on University Governance through July, August and September 2025, seeking academic representation on advisory bodies. No replies have been received.
· Engaged constructively with Senator David Pocock’s office, including meetings with his Chief of Staff, helping inform recommendations from the Senate Inquiry and discussions on whistleblower protections.
· Cited in the Senate Inquiry’s final report, which drew on findings from the AAUP’s survey of members.
· Lodged a published submission to the NSW Inquiry (No. 13) and endorsed the Public Universities Australia Model University Act submission (No. 3).
· Met with The Hon. Dr Sarah Kaine MLC, who is leading the NSW Inquiry, to request that AAUP members be heard at the remaining public hearings.
· Made a formal written request to the NSW Standing Committee to appear.
Why This Matters for Procedural Fairness
The NSW Standing Committee’s own Terms of Reference commit it to examining legislative governance frameworks, the accountability of university councils, and the public mission of universities. These are precisely the questions on which practising academics, particularly professors, hold direct, lived expertise.
Including oral testimony from the AAUP would not weaken the inquiry — it would strengthen it. Formal inclusion ensures the Committee’s evidentiary record remains complete, factually balanced, and aligned with its statutory mandate.
“Our focus remains strictly on procedural fairness and statutory completeness. Ensuring peak academic representation in the official record protects the integrity of the Committee’s findings and serves the public interest.”
— AAUP Leadership
Next Steps
To ensure all critical findings are recorded, the AAUP will lodge a supplementary written submission containing sworn member affidavits on 16 July 2026. We respectfully request that the Committee formally note this material in the official evidentiary record to maintain procedural transparency and prevent substantive issues from being overlooked in the final report.
Detailed evidentiary analysis and contextual clarifications are intentionally withheld from public circulation until formally entered into the parliamentary record. This protocol supports accuracy, procedural integrity, and allows for proper sworn examination.
Media Contact:
aaup_council@professoriate.org
About the AAUP (www.professoriate.org):
The Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an incorporated, independent body of more than 700 members, around 85 per cent of them full professors, drawn from universities across the nation. Its members are the practising academics who research, teach, and sit closest to the governance failures the inquiries into the university sector were established to examine. AAUP are dedicated to the principles of integrity, transparency, accountability and collegiality in higher education. AAUP is independent and its mission is non-partisan.