Tabling her report on the audits of universities and TAFE Colleges for 2020, Auditor General, Caroline Spencer said the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the tertiary sector and the report outlined many of the measures taken.
The Audit Results Report – 2020 Financial Audits of Universities and TAFEs, summarised the results of the annual financial audits of Western Australia’s four public universities, their subsidiaries and the five TAFEs.
All received clear (unqualified) audit opinions for their financial statements, Ms Spencer said.
“The universities and TAFEs significantly modified their operations in 2020 to respond to the pandemic,” Ms Spencer said.
“This included the extensive use of online learning, adjusting the academic calendar and reducing the financial burden on students through fee reductions and waiving late payment fees.”
She said all universities reported a decrease in total income in 2020, ranging from 0.9 per cent at Edith Cowan University (ECU) to 8.4 per cent at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
Three of the universities (UWA, Curtin University and Murdoch University) had reductions in student numbers and reduced income from course fees and charges.
“Most of this was due to a reduction in fees paid by onshore international students,” Ms Spencer said.
ECU was the only public university with a growth in student numbers and course fee revenue.
She said a range of State Government initiatives in response to COVID-19 helped to mitigate falls in training activity and revenue in the TAFE sector.
“Overall, total TAFE training hours increased from 21 million in 2019 to 21.5 million in 2020,” Ms Spencer said.
“The report also includes the results of our information systems audits of the tertiary sector and the financial audit results of a small number of statutory authorities and cemetery boards since our last audit results report was presented in November 2020.”
The Auditor General’s 34-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
