ABSTRACT
Th e classic questions asked of accountability schemes are: accountable to whom, for what, how provided and what sanctions (Trow, 1996)? In this brief survey of higher education accountability in Australia, it is suggested that the main trend, which is evolutionary, is for increased accountability of higher education institutions to the Federal Government and to the public. Current policy seeks to augment both public and market-based forms of accountability refl ecting the quasi-market nature of the Australian higher education system (Marginson, 2009). While there are current eff orts to integrate and streamline various forms of accountability, an ultimate goal of formally holding universities to account for the standard of their graduates remains elusive.
