ON
🔍
← Back to feed
AustraliaEconomy5 days ago

ANU and other universities using ‘custom-made’ accounting systems that can obscure financial health

Australian universities, including ANU, are using accounting methods that may obscure their true financial health. These methods involve adjusting financial results for one-time or non-operational items, potentially creating a misleading narrative of financial distress. This has been used to justify job and course cuts despite the institutions being in robust financial condition.

An accounting method means students, staff, citizens or even parliaments are lacking a clear financial picture of Australian universities. In the case of ANU, this approach falsely justified wide-scale job cuts.

Jun 16, 2026

4 min read

The Australian National University (Image: AAP/Lukas Coch)

Australian universities are using accounting approaches that can help sell a narrative of financial distress, which can then be used to justify job and course cuts, even though they are in robust health. Among the universities that have engaged in such systems are Newcastle, Monash, La Trobe and the Australian National University (ANU).

Though Australian universities must follow accounting standards, some use a financial metric in their accounting known as the “underlying result” that lacks a consistent statutory framework. This adjusts a net financial result for one-off or non-operational items and takes into account the restricted nature of investment income and philanthropic funds, which are not always available to fund daily operations.

Read the full article at Crikey →
Source document: Australian National University

1 reports

CrikeyIndependentCenter5 days ago
ANU and other universities using ‘custom-made’ accounting systems that can obscure financial health

Australian universities, including ANU, are using accounting methods that may obscure their true financial health. These methods involve adjusting financial results for one-time or non-operational items, potentially creating a misleading narrative of financial distress. This has been used to justify job and course cuts despite the institutions being in robust financial condition.

Bias read (Center): The article presents facts about accounting practices without overtly favoring any political perspective. It highlights concerns about transparency and potential misuse of financial metrics but does not take a stance on the issue itself.

Official sources cited

  • organisation Australian National University
  • organisation Monash University
  • organisation La Trobe University

Go to the primary sources (3)

The official sources this coverage is built on. Read them directly to bypass framing.

  • organisationAustralian National University
  • organisationMonash University
  • organisationLa Trobe University