The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) NSW Division has held a local gathering in the heart of Wollongong to mark the release of the final report of the NSW Inquiry into University Governance.
Over the past two years, university staff and students have been slammed with mass job cuts, pervasive wage theft and public scandal. Amid this chaos, staff and union members have worked tirelessly to expose the failings of the sector. The inquiry’s report is a reflection of this dedication and a culmination of years of campaigning.
As the first university to be hit by the latest round of mass job and course cuts, University of Wollongong staff and students lead the state with their ongoing campaigning and gave critical evidence to the NSW inquiry.
Their advocacy continues, with NTEU members recently publicly calling for action to be taken following ICAC investigation Operation Scandi: for the remaining members of the University Council to resign or recuse themselves to allow for renewed leadership to rebuild UOW; for a halt to workplace restructures; and a public crisis and recovery plan. A South Coast Labour Council petition has already gained more than 500 signatures.
These calls continued to be echoed on Monday night, with a public forum being held with members and staff from the University of Wollongong. They were joined by members of the panel including the Hon. Sarah Kaine MLC, Dr Richard Denniss (The Australia Institute), Arthur Rorris (South Coast Labour Council) and UOW student Caitlen Veigel.
Quotes attributable to Dr Susan Engel, NTEU UOW Branch President:
“What staff and students have had to endure over the past two or so years at UOW is staggering, it’s beyond words. But the Inquiry’s report released last week is welcomed and a validation of our experience on the ground.
The Inquiry’s recommendations confirm that UOW’s governance response to the ongoing ICAC investigation so far is nowhere near what is required. Elected staff and student representatives are still not part of key Council committees, including for the selection of the new Chancellor. We need more than tokenistic consultation.
Despite the cost, union members and students continued to speak out against the severe mismanagement and destructive choices being made at our uni. We have written letters, rallied, spoken to our local representatives, and of course given evidence at the inquiry itself. It’s heartening to know that our collective efforts have helped to expose the crisis in our sector.
We’re ready for real change, for these recommendations to be implemented and for our university and local Illawarra community to heal.”
Quotes attributable to Vince Caughley, NTEU NSW Division Secretary:
“The state’s university managements have collectively failed to protect the public good and damaged the reputations of these critical institutions. The NSW inquiry has, in detail, laid bare the scale of their failures and demonstrated that the sector’s oversight bodies and processes are unfit for purpose.
In Wollongong, the university represents the epi-centre of this crisis, and staff and students battled over a number of years against job cuts and a management who have utterly failed in their responsibilities to staff, students, and the local community.
The inquiry report presents the State Government with a concrete and evidence-based roadmap to setting things right. It begins with restoring the role of elected staff in university governance processes – those who are, unlike the current myriad corporate appointees – experts in education, finance, governance, psychosocial health and teaching pedagogy.
The public should know that our members have carried an enormous weight on their shoulders across this state’s ten public universities and have put in countless hours in defense of education, research and the university community. Thanks to their efforts, this report tells every university worker who has been through unnecessary change or faced up to attempted job cuts that they’re not alone and their experience wasn’t in vain.”
Event photographs available here.
Media contact:
Shannan Ely
0482 684 477
