The cult of the fat-cat vice chancellor whose excesses and ambitions are not reined in by governing bodies has become a political issue for universities as “problems of culture” such as too many international students, wage theft and sexual assault hit the headlines, says the former head of Australia’s higher education regulator.

Peter Coaldrake, who retired as head of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency 10 days ago, says he is troubled that “chancellors and governing bodies have not been a brake on vice chancellors’ exuberance and, in a number of cases due to their inattention, contributed to problems of culture”.