The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has welcomed Education Minister Jason Clare's declaration the national universities regulator needs beefed up powers.
In a speech to the Australian Financial Review's Higher Education Summit on Tuesday, Mr Clare said the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) needed better tools to step in and act on governance and leadership issues.
The NTEU has consistently called for TEQSA to be given more power including through the union's evidence to the Senate inquiry into university governance.
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said:
"University staff and students have lived for too long under opaque and unaccountable governance structures.
"Minister Clare's recognition that TEQSA needs sharper teeth is a promising sign the days of vice-chancellors operating without real scrutiny are numbered.
"The NTEU has consistently warned that weak governance is at the heart of the crisis in our universities. We told the Senate inquiry that TEQSA must have the power to step in and enforce basic standards of governance.
"Words are important, but action is urgent. Stronger powers for TEQSA will help stop the institutional rot. Reform cannot wait.
"Strengthening TEQSA would be a great start. To get to the heart of the governance crisis, further reforms must come from strong recommendations from the Senate Inquiry and Expert Council on University Governance."
