澳大利亚大学必须应对治理挑战

For Australian universities, the governancechallenge is no longer whether toact,but whether they’re willing toaddress GenevieveBeartTimJacksonRonyAzziJamesTwaddle Australian universities are under an intense spotlight over governance and risk, driven bysector-wide incidents and growing pressure on how they are governed, how they managerisk, and how they uphold their role in society. Over the past few years, the sector has beenconfronted with issues that have damaged public confidence, including concerns around This scrutiny is no longer limited to headlines — it is shaping formal oversight and policy.New regulatory requirements are being introduced, including mandatory accountability,expanded reporting and additional compliance obligations. These include the proposedAustralian Tertiary Education Commission, the National Student Ombudsman, strengthened GOVERNANCE SCRUTINY IS RISING ALONGSIDEEXPECTATIONS ANDACCOUNTABILITY Universities must demonstrate active stewardship of culture, governance, and risk.Governing bodies now face a burning platform: to restore trust, they must ensure However, it is also important to recognise that many recent failures are not purelygovernance breakdowns but, in several cases, operational or human error issues. In thecurrent environment, these are still interpreted — publicly and politically — as governancefailures. Completely eliminating such errors through oversight would be impossible, and the Universities also have some of the most experienced leaders serving on their governingbodies, including individuals from business, government, industry bodies and from withinthe university itself. These are individuals who understand governance expectations and SHORT-TERM OR ISOLATED FIXES AREUNLIKELYTO PREVENT REPEATFAILURES Some universities are addressing issues with short-term, reactive measures, for examplestandalone reviews focused on culture, governance or a specific incident. While theseactions can be necessary and responsible, they often address symptoms rather than This challenge is not unique to higher education. Australia’s financial services sector hasfaced similar losses of public trust at different points, including through events surroundingthe Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial •Governing bodies must be actively informed about risks and organisationalculture•Meaningful debate and diversity of thought isessential•Strategy, values, target culture and risk culture must be clearlyaligned•Compliance alone is not a benchmark forperformance SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT NEEDS TO BECONNECTEDTO GOVERNANCE, CULTURE ANDRISK Instead of isolated fixes, universities need a holistic approach to governancereform.While regular “governing body effectiveness reviews” are common, these tend to besuperficial and procedural. True progress requires treating governance, culture, andrisk Based on our experience improving governance, risk, and culture improvement acrossmultiple sectors, universities should pursue integrated, root-cause reform by reviewing Oliver Wymanhas developed a holistic approach and proprietary tools to help governancebodies and executive teams respond effectively to governance concerns, drawing on lessons The Expert Council on University Governancehas provided a useful reference point forwhat strong governance could look like. The risk, however, is that institutions focus onlyon tactical fixes — for example, adding a specific skill set to a governing body or revisingcommittee charters — without addressing underlying systemic conditions. These steps may Oliver Wyman, a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), is a management consulting firm combining deepindustry knowledge with specialized expertise to help clients optimize their business, improve operations andaccelerate performance. Marsh McLennan is a global leader in risk, strategy and people, advising clients in130 countries across four businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer andOliver Wyman. With annual revenue of For more information, visit oliverwyman.com, or follow on LinkedIn andX. Americas+1 212 541 8100 SuzyTortaPartnersuzy.torta@oliverwyman.com RonyAzziPartnerrony.azzi@oliverwyman.com Partnergenevieve.beart@oliverwyman.com JamesTwaddlePartnerjames.twaddle@oliverwyman.com TimJacksonPartnertim.jackson@oliverwyman.com EdEmanuelPartneredward.emanuel@oliverwyman.com Copyright ©2025OliverWyman The information and opinions in this report were prepared byOliver Wyman. This report is not investment advice and should not berelied on for such advice or as a substitute for consultation with professional accountants, tax, legal or financial advisors.Oliver Wymanhas made every effort to use reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive information and analysis, but all information is provided withoutwarranty of any kind, express or implied.Oliver Wymandisclaims any responsibility to update the information or conclusions in this