22 February 2023
South Australian universities would be required to appoint more students and staff to their councils and cap vice-chancellor salaries under a Bill introduced to State Parliament by the Greens during O’week.
The Bill would reshape the governing councils of SA’s universities to ensure a better distribution of skills and experiences, including requiring First Nations representation and representation from culturally and linguistically diverse people and people from different work backgrounds. The Bill will also require universities to hold their council meetings in public and cap vice-chancellor salaries in line with the remuneration of the South Australian Premier.
“Higher education is at a real crossroads in SA,” said Greens Education Spokesperson Robert Simms. “We can head down the path of mergers advocated by the Malinauskas Government, which will inevitably result in more job cuts and a dud deal for students, or we can reform our universities to make sure that they run for public benefit and not profit”.