Australia's education sector must do more to make the grade

No major change project will succeed unless the objectives of the councils are linked directly to the promotion and remuneration of staff. While academic freedom of thought must be maintained, the community has the right to expect efficient and effective outputs that are measured and transparent.

In order to implement these governance changes, a one-off grant should be made available to the university sector, and full support will be required from state governments, which are now accountable for performance.

Students and taxpayers are not getting good value for money in scholarship output, and academics at a working level are being squeezed for resources and by red tape. Good governance is the only solution, and it is the universities' best argument for achieving greater freedom on fees and building a case for additional funds.

Surely Australian society is worthy of universities that can claim to be among the best in the world.