{"id":27399298,"date":"2025-12-18T16:59:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T05:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/?p=27399298"},"modified":"2025-12-19T15:31:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T04:31:57","slug":"uow-caught-in-smoke-and-mirrors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/news\/uow-caught-in-smoke-and-mirrors\/","title":{"rendered":"ICAC, Royals, and Tottenham Hotspur: UOW Caught in Smoke and Mirrors of Severe Mismanagement and Bizarre Engagements"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">University of Wollongong\u00a0(UOW)\u00a0fronted the\u00a0<em>NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the University Sector<\/em>, where questions were raised about offshore campuses, the centralisation of control under the current Chancellor, a suspicious string of hiring and firings under the reign of a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.illawarramercury.com.au\/story\/8884023\/uow-v-c-conflict-he-kept-one-day-a-fortnight-for-kordamentha\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">publicly criticised interim Vice-Chancellor<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, and\u00a0bizarre\u00a0engagements with disgraced\u00a0former\u00a0royals.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Questions have\u00a0previously\u00a0been raised about\u00a0UOW\u2019s decisions to open\u00a0numerous\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/offshore-and-out-of-touch-the-curly-questions-confronting-australian-universities-overseas-20251128-p5nj75.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">offshore campuses.<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0It was revealed\u00a0during\u00a0the\u00a0hearing\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0UOW\u00a0India campus\u00a0is\u00a0currently\u00a0not cash positive and being run as a\u00a0direct\u00a0branch of the university. UOW\u00a0India campus\u00a0was opened in November 2024,\u00a0around\u00a0the same time that UOW management were\u00a0proceeding\u00a0with 137 job cuts and\u00a0gutting courses in history, mathematics,\u00a0geography\u00a0and languages\u00a0at their\u00a0core\u00a0campus in the Illawarra.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Since these mass redundancies, it is estimated that roughly $29m has been paid out to cover redundancy costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The most concerning revelations from yesterday\u2019s hearing was a series of mass resignations after the appointment of interim Vice-Chancellor John Dewar, who had no existing connection to the Illawarra. When asked whether Dewar was engaged on the basis of a slash and burn mentality, Chancellor Michael Still responded with words to the effect that Dewar<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201c&#8230;saw a need for certain people to leave the\u00a0organisation\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lines of questioning directed towards Still\u00a0painted a\u00a0dark\u00a0picture of a\u00a0corporate\u00a0cabal\u00a0operating\u00a0to\u00a0centralise\u00a0power within the university\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/michaelwest.com.au\/icac-investigating-university-of-wollongong-as-chancellor-grilled-at-inquiry\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">which may now be under ICAC investigation<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Questions about Dewar\u2019s ongoing relationship with consultancy firm KordaMentha\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.illawarramercury.com.au\/story\/8884023\/uow-v-c-conflict-he-kept-one-day-a-fortnight-for-kordamentha\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">have previously been raised,<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0the same consultancy contracted for a review of operations in\u00a0July 2024\u00a0\u2013\u00a0less than\u00a0one month after Dewar\u2019s appointment as interim VC.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UOW executives had no answers for as of Wednesday 17th still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uow.edu.au\/media\/2017\/a-royal-welcome-as-entrepreneurs-head-to-uow-for-pitchpalace.php\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">publicly available\u00a0information<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0of engagement with disgraced\u00a0former prince,\u00a0Andrew\u00a0Mountbatten-Windsor\u00a0and for\u00a0which it was suggested that significant sums of money had been spent\u00a0on renovations\u00a0in preparation for.\u00a0This\u00a0engagement\u00a0took place in 2017; reports of Prince Andrew\u2019s impropriety\u00a0with underage minors\u00a0had been noted as early as 2015.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Quotes attributable to Dr Susan Engel, NTEU UOW Branch President:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cUOW management should be committed\u00a0first\u00a0and\u00a0foremost\u00a0to the Illawarra region, domestic\u00a0campuses\u00a0and the young people whose education is nurtured here. They\u00a0are\u00a0destroying our institution piece by piece\u00a0while reaping the rewards.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cStaff at UOW campuses\u00a0love this university\u00a0and\u00a0our local\u00a0communities,\u00a0and we put our students first.\u00a0Knowing that these powerful suits are coming in\u00a0and\u00a0cutting the very heart out of our university\u00a0with no real\u00a0value or respect for public education is a slap in the face. It breaks our hearts.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen you look at the decisions of this UOW executive, it just feels like the Illawarra and our local communities are being robbed blind.\u00a0Bizarre engagements,\u00a0pompous\u00a0ceremonies, and offshore campuses \u2013\u00a0those in charge need to be held accountable for their actions;\u00a0uni\u00a0governance reform\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0come soon enough for all of us here in Wollongong.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Quotes attributable to Vince\u00a0Caughley, NTEU NSW Division Secretary:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">\u201cWhen phrases like\u00a0<i>ICAC whistle-blower status<\/i>,\u00a0<i>Prince Andrew<\/i>,\u00a0<i>Saudi Arabia<\/i> <em>Riyadh\u00a0campus<\/em> and even\u00a0<i>Tottenham Hotspur<\/i>\u00a0are being raised in a parliamentary inquiry into university governance, something has gone very badly wrong. These are not words that should ever sit anywhere near the management of a public university.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cUOW management are asking staff, students and the Illawarra community to accept job cuts and course closures, while the inquiry hears about opaque offshore ventures, questionable engagements, and a governance culture that seems completely detached from the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUniversities exist to serve their communities. What staff see instead is leadership parachuted in with no connection to the region, making decisions that hollow out local capacity while treating the institution like a corporate asset rather than a public good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about Wollongong. It\u2019s about whether public universities are being governed in the public interest, or whether they\u2019ve drifted into a corporate model where secrecy, consultants and unchecked executive power are the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a chancellor can approve large discretionary spending, reshape governance arrangements, and preside over an interim leadership that triggers mass departures &#8211; all without meaningful transparency &#8211; the system itself is failing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Media enquiries \u2013 Shannan Ely, 0482 684 477\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>University of Wollongong\u00a0(UOW)\u00a0fronted the\u00a0NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the University Sector, where questions were raised about offshore campuses, the centralisation of control under the current Chancellor, a suspicious string of hiring and firings under the reign of a publicly criticised interim Vice-Chancellor, and\u00a0bizarre\u00a0engagements with disgraced\u00a0former\u00a0royals.\u00a0\u00a0 Questions have\u00a0previously\u00a0been raised about\u00a0UOW\u2019s decisions to open\u00a0numerous\u00a0offshore campuses.\u00a0It was revealed\u00a0during\u00a0the\u00a0hearing\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0UOW\u00a0India campus\u00a0is\u00a0currently\u00a0not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":27397676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[17,20],"tags":[],"formats":[],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"work_area":[],"class_list":["post-27399298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","category-uow"],"acf":[],"dsm_author":{"name":"sely","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6a369defb68d731c6a4414e579cc4644c1800ba937faea5cbb619f2f6c8e47d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","archive_link":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/news\/author\/sely\/","biodata":""},"dsm_categories":[{"term_name":"Media Statement","term_id":17,"term_link":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/news\/category\/media\/"},{"term_name":"UOW","term_id":20,"term_link":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/news\/category\/branch-news\/uow\/"}],"dsm_attachment_categories":[],"dsm_featured_image":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-150x150.png","medium":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-300x300.png","medium_large":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-768x768.png","large":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","1536x1536":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","2048x2048":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","et-pb-post-main-image":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-400x250.png","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-900x675.png","et-pb-portfolio-image":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-400x284.png","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-510x382.png","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-400x516.png","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile-480x480.png","gform-image-choice-sm":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","gform-image-choice-md":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","gform-image-choice-lg":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png","full":"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2025\/03\/NSWDiv-newstile.png"},"dsm_comment_count":0,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ICAC, Royals, and Tottenham Hotspur: UOW Caught in Smoke and Mirrors of Severe Mismanagement and Bizarre Engagements - NSW Division Council<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nsw.nteu.au\/council\/news\/uow-caught-in-smoke-and-mirrors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ICAC, Royals, and Tottenham Hotspur: UOW Caught in Smoke and Mirrors of Severe Mismanagement and Bizarre Engagements - NSW Division Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"University of Wollongong\u00a0(UOW)\u00a0fronted the\u00a0NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the University Sector, where questions were raised about offshore campuses, the 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