The National Tertiary Education Union has called for a federal parliamentary inquiry into university governance after the University of Canberra announced 200 job losses.
UC's Interim Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker announced a plan to scrap 200 roles on Monday.
This announcement follows the very public governance crisis at UC, which has attracted significant public interest in recent times.
Former Vice Chancellor, Paddy Nixon resigned suddenly after revelations he received a whopping $1.8 million remuneration in 2023.
There have also been course cuts, unit cuts, a $10 million budget blowout (following an $9.5 million increase in spending on consultants), the replacement of an Interim Vice Chancellor, who is now no longer with UC, and now the announcement of foreshadowed job cuts.
Quotes attributable to NTEU ACT Division Secretary Dr Lachlan Clohesy:
“Staff are still paying the price of Paddy Nixon’s $1.8 million package. UC has seen governance failure after governance failure in recent years. This has real effects on ordinary people’s lives.
“Millionaire Vice Chancellors strip out wealth to enrich themselves, before moving on and leaving a steaming mess behind them. It is time that territory, state, and federal governments seriously addressed university governance.
“Losing so many staff can’t help but have an impact on teaching, research, student support, and all of the other wonderful things that UC currently does in service of our community.”
Quotes attributable to NTEU UC Branch President Dr Craig Applegate:
“Staff are understandably shocked and anxious about UC’s future.
“This year has been one university governance issue after another. Staff feel as though this is a great university which has been let down by poor management decisions over the last couple of years.”
“In a cost of living crisis, many UC staff will head into the Christmas break not knowing whether they’ll have a job to come back to in the new year. This has huge ramifications for UC staff and their families.”
Quotes attributable to NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes:
“The Federal Government must hold an urgent parliamentary inquiry into university governance.
“The lack of transparency is disgraceful. Staff are only finding out problems at their universities when it’s too late and jobs are on the line.
“The problems we’re seeing at ANU and UC aren’t isolated to the ACT.
“National issues like shocking mismanagement leading to job losses, the corporate stacking of university governing bodies and industrial-scale wage theft require a national response.
“Unless we see urgent governance reform, our cherished public universities will continue to suffer from the mismanagement of unaccountable and overpaid vice-chancellors.”
Contact details:
Lachlan Clohesy 0418 493 355 / Matt Coughlan 0400 561 480