A parliamentary inquiry will put the Canberra Institute of Technology under a microscope and consider whether merging the public training organisation with the University of Canberra is a good idea.
The potential merger will be examined under an agreement struck between the ACT government and the University of Canberra, with Chief Minister Andrew Barr already indicating he supported the move in principle.
The university's vice-chancellor, Bill Shorten, has said the two institutions would be better together and he had started reaching out to crossbenchers in the Legislative Assembly.
Now the Assembly's economics, recreation and industry standing committee has announced it would launch its own inquiry into the governance arrangements for the Canberra Institute of Technology.
The inquiry will consider the suitability of the institute's board structure and the state of ministerial and parliamentary oversight over the troubled institution.
The committee will weigh up maintaining the institute's board structure, established in 2015, reducing the institute's independence and merging with the University of Canberra.
The government had already launched its own review of CIT governance that "will draw on advice from experts in governance and vocational education and training" and will probably be finished next year.
The budget estimates committee was told the review would examine existing models across public vocational education and training providers and government entities to best consider the options for the ACT.
Mr Shorten this week said he had been in contact with crossbench members and expected the Legislative Assembly would "want to kick the tyres on what are the various options".
"I'm hopeful, though, in the next six-plus months we can get some steer on what people are thinking. You wouldn't want this to drag on forever," he said.
The chair of the committee inquiry, Labor's Taimus Werner-Gibbings, said: "We are particularly interested in hearing perspectives from stakeholders on the appropriateness of the governance arrangements at CIT, together with specialists in best practice in governance in tertiary educational institutions."
Independent Thomas Emerson, who sits on the committee, last week said he saw two possible pathways forward for the Canberra Institute of Technology.
Either abolish the board and appoint a director who reports to the minister with strong parliamentary oversight or establish a dual-sector institution by merging CIT with the University of Canberra, Mr Emerson wrote in an opinion piece for The Canberra Times.
"Over $160 million in taxpayer funds can't just be diverted to UC every year without strict ministerial and parliamentary oversight. That doesn't mean the idea should be dismissed prima facie," Mr Emerson wrote.
"It's up to vice-chancellor Bill Shorten to make a case for why this isn't just an exciting idea for UC, but to demonstrate how it'll also resolve the systemic issues at CIT."
Submissions to the inquiry close on October 30.
