UC Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker has acknowledged UC has been “spending beyond its means”. Photo: LinkedIn.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will hold a rally on Thursday, 7 November, to protest the University of Canberra’s (UC) announcement that more than 200 staffing positions will be cut this year.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker acknowledged the university has been “spending beyond its means” and was putting itself in an “unsustainable position”.
“We cannot expect any external assistance and must take urgent and significant measures to re-balance the institution,” he said on Monday (21 October).
Professor Parker pledged to reduce the number of senior executives and said he expected at least 200 staffing positions in total will be removed this year and in the first half of next year.
“Some will be found from positions that are or become vacant and contracts that are expiring, but redundancies seem inevitable,” he said.
The NTEU’s Dr Lachlan Clohesy said it was impossible to cut 200 jobs in a university the size of UC and not affect research, teaching, the student experience and everything else that UC does.
He also said Professor Parker has not provided an explanation or transparency on why the tertiary institution is in such a dire financial state.
“How is it the UC, which has a relatively small footprint, ended up with the highest paid Vice-Chancellor in Australia ever, with $1.8 million paid to Paddy Nixon? Where is the $85 million received in 2021 from the sale of Education Australia shares? Why did consultant fees more than double in 2023, rising by $9.5 million?” Dr Clohesy asked.
NTEU secretary Lachlan Clohesy wants more transparency from UC. Photo: Twitter.
The NTEU has also called for an ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry and a federal parliamentary probe into UC governance.
When asked if ACT Labor would initiate a Legislative Assembly inquiry into UC, a spokesperson for Chief Minister Andrew Barr said: “We will work with the University of Canberra to undertake a Governance Review to ensure the universityy is positioned to continue to deliver the best education and research outcomes for our city and its students and staff.
“This review will be undertaken within the context of the national Universities Accord process that Federal Minister Jason Clare is leading.”
The ACT Greens said they supported some form of review into UC.
“The ACT Greens are deeply troubled by the lack of transparency demonstrated by the actions undertaken by the leadership of the University of Canberra. We wholeheartedly support the NTEU’s push for a review, and look forward to ensuring that the University of Canberra remains a trusted institution for future generations of Canberrans,” a party spokesperson said.
“We will continue to consult with the NTEU and the broader UC community as to the nature of this review.”
Region asked Mr Clare’s office if he supported a federal parliamentary inquiry into UC.
He did not answer the question but said the government was establishing a review body called the Expert Council on University Governance “to provide Ministers with expert and technical governance advice about how to improve university performance”.
Professor Parker told Region the government is “entitled” to conduct an inquiry.
“There are legitimate questions to be asked about why, including UC, a number of other universities are having to make difficult decisions. Common themes among struggling universities appear to be spending ahead of growth, but the growth not materialising. Slow visa processing and international student caps add to these limitations,” he said.
The NETU protest rally is to be held at the UC Concourse from 12:30 pm on Thursday, 7 November.
The University of Canberra was contacted for comment.
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Riotact.
