3. Internal controls
Universities have adequate internal controls to support reliable financial reporting. Improvement to some key information technology (IT) controls is still an ongoing effort.
2. Financial analysis
The sector as a whole broke even for 2023, but this was only because of fair value gains on investments recorded as income. The sector otherwise would have recorded an overall net deficit for the year, a continued declining trend from 2022.
Revenue from international students grew, while domestic student revenue growth remained flat when compared to 2022. Overall, revenue earned from teaching students has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, however moved positively since 2022.
1. Audit outcomes
We gave clear audit opinions for financial reports across the Victorian public university sector. Parliament and the community can confidently use these reports.