Public hearings began today for the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) investigation into allegations concerning the University of Wollongong (UOW).
The hearing heard the opening statement of Counsel Assisting the Commission Emma Bathurst, in which a number of items were raised around governance at UOW, including allegations around intentionally subverting recruitment processes; potential undeclared conflicts of interest; undue influence and the engagement of consultants; and potential breaches of university policies and procedures. The Commission will establish, over the course of the hearings, whether actions taken by university executives have constituted corruption.
The allegations come after years of turmoil at the university. The UOW Transformation program has seen more than 200 job losses and numerous course cuts. The timeline of the allegations made during today’s ICAC hearing overlaps significantly with these job losses. They raise serious questions about the validity of the Transformation program and the governance structures under which it has been rolled out. The National Tertiary Education Union has consistently called out severe governance failures at UOW and the dire impact on staff and students.
While ICAC public hearings continue, so too does the Transformation program with at least a further 20 staff potentially being made redundant in IT and Marketing and Communications in the coming weeks.
The National Tertiary Education Union has today called for UOW to halt all plans to cut jobs under the Transformation program.
Quotes attributable to Dr Susan Engel, NTEU UOW Branch President:
“It was hard listening today. Amidst all the allegations we heard at today’s ICAC hearing, I was reminded of the story underneath it all, the stories of staff who have suffered, who have lost their jobs under chaotic restructures and processes. Staff, students, and the Illawarra community are the hidden causalities here.
“We’ve been fighting hard to shed light on poor governance at UOW and the wider university sector over the past few years. That there is now an investigation at the highest levels of oversight in NSW is a welcome development for union members.
“I work with so many hardworking and honest academic and professional staff at Wollongong. All we want is for the people in charge of our universities to be putting staff, students, and the public interest first. While we await findings, we’re calling for the university to halt the catastrophic job loss processes that are still underway.”
Quotes attributable to Vince Caughley, NTEU NSW Division Secretary:
“Today’s hearing has put serious allegations about governance at the University of Wollongong into the public domain. The Commission’s hearings will examine those matters in detail, and we await its findings.
“But for staff who have lived through years of restructures, job losses and course cuts, these questions are not abstract. They go to whether decisions affecting people’s jobs and the future of the university were made properly, transparently and in the public interest.
“The ICAC investigation, alongside the NSW Legislative Council inquiry into the university sector, is a deeply damaging moment for the sector and highly embarrassing for UOW.
“It shouldn’t take an ICAC investigation, a Legislative Council inquiry and national media scrutiny to find out whether one of our public universities is being properly governed.
“The NSW Government must legislate for real accountability and step in to reform governance at universities, which are among our state’s most important public institutions.”
