- Minister for Education
The Morrison Government will introduce performance-based funding for Australian universities to ensure they are focussed on providing quality teaching and supporting students to achieve the best possible graduate outcomes.
From 2020, universities will be able to access funding for bachelor level places in line with population growth if they meet specified performance requirements.
The Morrison Government has appointed a panel of experts to provide advice on the design of the performance measures and the formula to be introduced from 2020, including:
- The appropriate performance measures to be used for assessing performance and their weighting
- How to address the disparity in attainment rates across Australia
- How to create incentives that genuinely encourage improved performance, so that performance-based funding does not become a ‘tick-box’ exercise or an unattainable goal
- How to account for the varied missions and strengths of different providers, including regional providers
- Evidence from international examples of performance-based funding
- Optional processes and timeframes for the ongoing setting and evaluation of individual university targets.
The panel members are:
Professor Paul Wellings (Chair) — University of Wollongong; Professor Greg Craven — Australian Catholic University; Professor Rufus Black — University of Tasmania; Professor Dawn Freshwater — University of Western Australia; Professor Sandra Harding — James Cook University; Ms Barbara Bennett PSM — Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Social Services.
The panel brings together respected experts in higher education, including expertise across different types of institutions. The panel is expected to provide its report to Government by the middle of 2019.