In May 2019 Murdoch U academics Duncan Farrow, Graeme Hocking and Gerd Schröder-Turk appeared on ABC TV’s Four Corners criticising the university’s international student standards

A subsequent investigation by regulator TEQSA, announced Friday, found that the university had “responded appropriately” but that “Murdoch had been at risk of non-compliance due to an inconsistent application of its own admissions practices, which resulted in the admission of some international students (in 2018) who were ill-equipped to progress through their course of study.” The university responded to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s findings last week, (CMM October 8).

Last night Farrow, Hocking and Schröder-Turk issued a statement;

“We consider that rigorous admission criteria, and effective oversight of their implementation, are essential to ensuring academic standards, student welfare and staff morale. In Australian universities, the potential conflict between financial benefits of admitting greater numbers of students and the upholding of academic standards remains an urgent concern, for both international and domestic student recruitment. Giving greater credence to concerns expressed by academic staff is beneficial for managing that conflict, and is in the interest of academic quality and student welfare.”

Associate Professor Schröder-Turk also states; “the views expressed in the statement are his personal views. He is not suggesting in any way that the views expressed here represent the views of his university, Murdoch University, or of the Senate of Murdoch University or of any other group that he belongs to.”