Charles Darwin University to be bound to KPIs by government after scandals
After a series of scandals, the Northern Territory's only university will soon be forced to prove its taxpayer funding is having positive outcomes for students.
The Northern Territory government plans to impose strict key performance indicators (KPIs) on Charles Darwin University (CDU) following a series of scandals and funding mishaps involving the university. This announcement comes from the NT government, which aims to introduce these changes to parliament early next year. CDU has faced numerous issues over the past year, including a TAFE accreditation blunder that affected hundreds of apprentices and the failure of an overseas campus.
The university's vice-chancellor, Scott Bowman, resigned amid the controversies in February. NT Education Minister Jo Hersey stated that the government is committed to ensuring accountability for the taxpayer money invested in CDU to maximize outcomes for students and their families. The new agreement will include KPIs for outcomes rather than untied funding without KPIs.
If KPIs are not met, the government will consider diverting resources to other training providers. The government has already begun working on legislative amendments, with the aim of introducing them into the NT Parliament early in 2027. CDU has a total of $61.4 million in its 2026-27 budget allocation, aside from its campuses in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Alice Springs, Sydney, and other interstate locations.
The law changes will also encompass the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, which has also faced scrutiny over financial anomalies and governance flaws.
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