To me, it seems clear that the time has come for a Royal Commission into how Universities, as Public Institutions, spend their money. One aspect of university life that often rankles with junior Academic staff, on relatively modest pay packets, is the fact that there are Executives on campus who are paid twice as much as the Prime Minister of Australia. There also often seems to be a fairly impenetrable shroud around much university activity and business; to those at the bottom of the pyramid, it is often seen as a perilous impertinence to ask about these things, although these are nevertheless Public Institutions.

Politicians are notoriously loathe to act in matters of this type, and particularly if they feel there could be personal advantages after their political lives are over. Australia’s Public Universities are an enormous resource for the Country; yet their well being, along with that of many people working in them, is anything but assured. A properly-balanced Royal Commission could go a long way towards establishing transparency and fitness-for-purpose of some key aspects of these important Public Institutions.