Victoria’s government has vowed to force the state’s public universities to double staff and student representation on institutional councils, in line with recommendations from a recent parliamentary inquiry into the sector’s governance.

In an interim to the recommendations, issued ahead of what is expected to be a hard-fought state election, skills and training minister Gabrielle Williams said her government would amend the university enabling acts to require at least two staff and two students on each council.

Williams promised to introduce legislation following the election, which is scheduled for 28 November. But she urged universities not to wait for the government to force their hand, saying administrators should “adopt a proactive approach”.

“University is a formative time in a student’s life,” Williams said. “The students and staff who make our…universities what they are should have a say in how they are run.”

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The chair of the lower house’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, which conducted the inquiry, said universities needed to serve the community in a “more meaningful” way. “Students and staff should have a seat at the table. These reforms deliver on that.”

At present, the university acts mandate at least one elected staff representative and at least one elected student on council. Most governing bodies currently have one of each, although staff are also represented through delegates of the academic senate.

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University of Melbourne law professor Joo-Cheong Tham, who has been closely involved in the governance negotiations, said the announcement marked a significant development. “[This] is the first time a state government has committed to legislative change to address the current crisis of university governance,” said Tham, outgoing Victorian assistant secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).

“It is a positive precedent that highlights the central role of state university statutes in ensuring that universities serve their public mission.”

The Labor government is no certainty to win the forthcoming poll, with market research company Roy Morgan the election “too close to call” in a three-horse race of Labor, the Liberal-National opposition and populist One Nation.

Tham said whichever party prevailed should honour the government’s commitment. He noted that the recommendations from the cross-party committee had been “unanimous” and said university governance reforms had attracted public support from Labor, Liberal and Greens MPs.

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La Trobe, Deakin and Swinburne universities have already committed to increase student and staff representation on their councils, in line with the government’s announcement, while the University of Melbourne has doubled the number of student representatives.

The Victorian government also backed the committee’s recommendations for more transparent reporting of council meeting agendas and outcomes, improved council appointment processes and better disclosure of executive pay and spending on consultants.

The government promised a “formal response” to the committee’s report “in the next term” and said it would work with federal authorities “to avoid unnecessary duplication”.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com