Australia’s universities have found themselves in crisis. But it has been decades in the making

‘Management started to see academics as a workforce to be tamed and controlled rather than collaborators in an educational mission,’ writes Hannah Forsyth. Composite: Alamy / Getty Images

Universities are in crisis. Federal and state government inquiries point to serious problems with governance, financial transparency and managerial decision-making. The pressure on university leadership, particularly well-paid vice-chancellors, is mounting.

After decades of public shaming, some university executives are finally starting to suggest that their “social licence” might require them to earn a more average wage.