The cost of compliance-based reporting is over $500m a year – that would pay to graduate 1000 more doctors a year and increase engineering graduates by two-thirds

The estimates are in a new Go8 policy paper addressed to the in-coming government. The Eight points to eight new reporting requirements imposed on universities, some of which peripherally apply to higher education.

And then there is the imposition of the government’s job ready graduates policy which includes a new funding formula for some courses and student enrolment regulation.  “The government’s purpose-built IT system is still not built in 2022 which means that bureaucrats are monitoring this issue and dealing on a case-by-case basis with each university,” the Eight laments.

“While we understand the need for accountability and transparency,  the hyper regulation of  unis is holding back productivity,” Chief Executive Vicki Thomson says.

The Go8 urges the new government to require ministers to scan all legislation impacting on HE during drafting for overlap, duplication and redundancy.