An interim parliamentary report into the universities sector has singled out University of Technology Sydney’s reliance on consultants, reduced academic staff on councils, appointments of corporate outsiders and a lack of transparency.

The NSW parliamentary inquiry report raised serious concerns over governance and decision-making in the sector using both UTS and Wollongong University as examples.

It found an entrenchment of a culture of corporate managerialism that had weakened working conditions, extensive use of consultants working hand in glove with the corporatised boards with poor transparency as to costs, conflicts of interest among council members and profound risks to the universities’ long-term effectiveness through the loss of institutional knowledge.

“There is an over-reliance on corporate consultants… that’s one of the big things that came out during the hearing,” NTEU UTS branch president Dr Sarah Attfield said, adding that since the report’s release there had been no communication from UTS with the NTEU.

“They’ve not made any announcements to start, there’s been nothing to us as well (as in the union).”

The parliamentary committee, chaired by MLC Sarah Kaine, conducted hearings between November 2025 and February 2026, receiving submissions from across the university sector with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), university management and student representative organisations all providing evidence.

The interim report, released by the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues, found “existing internal governance and reporting mechanisms at New South Wales universities are not sufficient to ensure transparency, accountability and alignment with universities’ public mission”.

The [enterprise bargaining] offer is unacceptable, there’s nothing else in the package that would make a material difference to staff.

The report also recommended the NSW Auditor-General conduct an audit of UTS with a focus on “governance integrity, financial management, the use of consultants in decision‑making, workforce management, psychosocial risk oversight, and the governance of controlled entities”.

Attfield welcomed the report, stating it was “quite sympathetic to the concerns raised by staff and unions” and supports the report’s recommendation that UTS should undergo a full audit.

While giving evidence to the inquiry, UTS Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt said UTS allocates $40 million annually to consultancy services.

As part of UTS’s Operational Sustainability Initiative, consultancy firm KPMG was engaged in a $7 million contract to provide advice to UTS.

In a statement to Central News, a UTS spokesperson said the university “acknowledges the release of the interim report and that the inquiry is ongoing”.

The report comes amidst planned industrial action at UTS, with staff set to strike for 24-hours on April 30, the second strike in four weeks.

The NTEU said enterprise bargaining negotiations have so far been unsatisfactory, with staff offered a 13 per cent pay rise over the next four years.

“This offer is unacceptable, there’s nothing else in the package that would make a material difference to staff,” Attfield said.

The interim report is expected to be followed by further hearings and a final report later this year, with the committee set to examine governance practices across additional universities.

Main image of UTS campus by Tom Snow.