Annual Report 2019-2020

1 Contents

NATIONAL UNITS DIVISIONS

Purpose & Structure...... 3 Industrial & Legal...... 20 ACT Division...... 34 NATIONAL OFFICERS

Policy & Alison Barnes, Research...... 22 NSW Division...... 36 National President...6

Organising, Campaigns & Matthew McGowan, Communications.. 26 NT Division...... 38 General Secretary.....8

Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Union Education... 30 Qld Division...... 40 Secretary...... 10

NATIONAL GROUPS Recruitment & Aboriginal & Torres Retention...... 32 SA Division...... 42 Strait Islander Defence Fund Allocation 6%

Caucus...... 12 Discretionary 7% Operating 12% Branch & Division Salaries National O ce Queer Unionists in 55% Salaries Tasmanian 20% Budget & Tertiary Education Finance...... 33 Division...... 44 (QUTE)...... 15

Women’s Action Committee (WAC)...... 16 Vic Division...... 46

National Tertiary NATIONAL TERTIARY CASUALS COMMITTEE Casuals Committee (NTCC)...... 19 WA Division...... 48

NTEU Annual Report 2019–20, Report to the 2020 National Council Meeting ISSN 2652-3426 (Online)

Published by National Tertiary Education Union ABN 38 579 396 344 Publisher: Matthew McGowan Editor: Alison Barnes Production: Paul Clifton Editorial Assistance: Anastasia Kotaidis Cover illustration by Sam Wallman. All text and images ©NTEU unless otherwise stated. NTEU National Office, PO Box 1323, Sth Melbourne VIC 3205 phone: (03) 9254 1910 email: [email protected] Available online at www.nteu.org.au/annual_report Purpose & Structure

• Promote the concept of equal opportunity National Executive 2019–20 The NTEU was formed in 1993 from an amalgamation of five in employment and to eliminate all forms National Officers of discrimination in tertiary education and National President Alison Barnes separate unions that represented in all spheres of the Union’s activity. General Secretary Mattew McGowan academic and general staff in • Create and maintain an informed public National Asst Secretary Gabe Gooding higher education, TAFE and adult opinion concerning tertiary education Vice-Presidents Andrew Bonnell education in Australia. institutions and their staff. (Academic), Cathy Rojas (General) NTEU now proudly represents over 30,000 nteu.org.au/myunion/about_us Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander workers across these sectors. As an ‘industry Structure of the Union member union’ NTEU represents all employees Shane Motlap (to Dec 2019), in academic and general/professional The Union is organised across three levels: Sharlene Leroy-Dyer (from Feb 2020) classifications ranging from professors the National Office (located in South to accountants to gardeners. No other Melbourne), State and Territory-based Division Secretaries organisation in Australia is able to speak Divisions and workplace-based Branches in ACT Cathy Day (Acting to Jan 2020) with a unified voice in support of tertiary each of the nation’s 38 universities, as well NSW Michael Thomson education and allied institutions and the as Branches covering members in ACE (Vic), unique and vital public interests they serve. TAFE (Vic), Research Institutes, Navitas, NT Rajeev Sharma RACGP and College of Law. Qld Michael McNally Purpose of the Union Our permanently staffed workplace-based SA Ron Slee The broad purpose of the Union is to local Branches in universities are a feature Tas Kelvin Michael advocate for, and represent the rights, unique to NTEU in the Australian trade interests and welfare of members in the Vic Mel Slee union movement. These structures permit industrial, legal, political and social spheres. WA Jonathan Hallett NTEU to build and maintain a visible and Ordinary Members The primary objects of NTEU are to: organised presence at each university and to be able to rapidly respond to industrial and Steve Adams Melbourne • Improve and protect the living standards organisational issues. Nikola Balnave Macquarie of its members as well as their working environment and professional interests. NTEU is a highly democratic member-driven Damien Cahill NSW Div Asst Secretary union with elected Branch Committees, • Promote the work of tertiary education Vince Caughley UTS Division Councils, and a National Council institutions in Australia and to preserve Andrea Lamont-Mills USQ comprising representatives elected by their independence and integrity. Virginia Mansel Lees La Trobe members on a two year cycle. Council meets • Foster the process of intellectual debate Catherine Moore ECU annually in October. within the Australian community. Nick Warner Adelaide At each Branch, the highest decision-making • Defend and promote the rights of members body is a general meeting of members. to teach, research and disseminate A Branch Committee comprising elected knowledge and information without fear of representatives of members governs the Image: Member selfies from the National Day of Action, reprisal. May 2020. continued overpage... 3 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Purpose & Structure affairs of each Branch in between general National Executive National Staff meetings of members. Each Branch also The National Executive is composed of Director (Industrial & Legal): elects National Councillors, who also the three full time National Officers, eight Wayne Cupido constitute the Division Council. This Division Secretaries, the Chair of the Senior Legal Officer: Kelly Thomas mechanism ensures that each Branch Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Policy National Industrial Officer (Research & is represented on the relevant State or Committee and ten ordinary members Projects): Ken McAlpine Territory-based Division Council. elected from the floor of the National Council National Industrial Officer: nteu.org.au/myunion/about_us/our_ (elected for a two-year term). Campbell Smith structure National Executive meets six times per year Industrial Support Officer: Renee Veal and is responsible for running the Union National Council Director (Policy & Research): Paul Kniest, between meetings of National Council. A Terri MacDonald (Acting Mar-July 2020) National Council consists of members directly ballot is held at National Council to elect 10 Policy & Research Officers: elected from Branches (in proportion to the ordinary members of the National Executive. Terri MacDonald, Kieran McCarron number of members at each Branch), three From these, National Council elects a Vice- National A&TSI Director: Adam Frogley full time National Officers, the eight State President (Academic) and Vice-President and Territory-based Division Secretaries (General Staff). National A&TSI Organiser: Celeste Liddle plus three Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander National Organiser (Media & National Councillors and members of the As 2020 is an election year, a ballot would Engagement): Michael Evans normally be conducted at National Council to Executive. National Council has a total National Organiser (Publications): elect the ordinary members of the National membership of about 130 delegates. Paul Clifton Executive, and subsequently the two Vice- National Council is the supreme decision Presidents. COVID-related delays mean that Education & Training Organiser: Helena Spyrou making body of the NTEU and has the critical this election will not take place at the 2020 task of setting the Union’s budget for the National Council but will occur sometime Communications Organiser (Digital): forthcoming year. later. ◆ Jake Wishart (from Dec 2019) Executive Manager: Peter Summers In 2020, the National Council is to be nteu.org.au/myunion/about_us/ National Membership Officer: conducted ‘virtually’ via Zoom due to the national_executive travel and other restrictions made necessary Melinda Valsorda by the global pandemic. The National Council ICT Network Engineer: Tam Vuong has also been split into two distinct sessions Database Programmer/Data Analyst: with the first to be held in late October and Uffan Saeed the second in December (the second meeting Payroll Administrator/HR Assistant: will be devoted only to consideration of Jo Riley policy and strategy related to the next round Manager, Office of General Secretary & of bargaining commencing in 2021). President: Anastasia Kotaidis nteu.org.au/myunion/about_us/ Executive Officer (Meeting & Events): national_council Tracey Coster Administrative Officer (Membership & Campaigns): Julie Ann Veal Receptionist & Administrative Support: Leanne Foote Finance Manager: Glenn Osmand Senior Finance Officer: Gracia Ho Finance Officers: Alex Ghvaladze, Lee Powell, Tamara Labadze, Daphne Zhang

Images (this page & opposite page): WA Division’s separate, socially distanced campus signs for National Day of Action, May 2020. 4 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ PURPOSE & STRUCTURE NTEU Structure KEY

Direct election by all members (includes certain designated Academic & General positions) Branches Branch Committee Direct election by A&TSI members only Branch President Vice-President (Academic) Direct election by casual members only 2 YEAR TERM Vice-President (General) Elected from within relevant Council or Committee Branch Secretary + Ordinary Members

2 YEAR TERM Designated A&TSI position NATIONAL TERTIARY 2 YEAR TERM Designated Casual position1 CASUALS COMMITTEE

NOTES Divisions 2 Division Executive 1. Not all Branches have designated casual 4 YEAR TERM Division Secretary 3 positions. 4 YEAR TERM Division Assistant Secretary 4, 5 2. Division Executives only in NSW, Qld, Vic & WA. Division President 3. No Division Secretary election in NT & Tas. Vice-President (Academic)5 2 YEAR TERM Division Council Vice-President (General)5 4. Division Assistant Secretary positions only + Ordinary Members in NSW, Vic & WA. 5. WA has two Division Assistant Secretaries 2 YEAR TERM Designated A&TSI position (Academic & General) but only one Division Vice-President.

National National Executive

4 YEAR TERM National President ALL NTEU MEMBERS 4 YEAR TERM General Secretary 4 YEAR TERM National Assistant Secretary Division Secretaries (8)

Vice-President (Academic) 2 YEAR TERM National Council 2 YEAR TERM Vice-President (General) + Ordinary Members (8)

2 YEAR TERM A&TSI National Councillors (3) A&TSIPC Chair

2 YEAR TERM

2 YEAR TERM

National committees where membership is appointed via expressions of interest in each Division:

5 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ PURPOSE & STRUCTURE Alison Barnes, National President

Welcome to the 2020 NTEU Annual increasing job losses among researchers Report. This has been a year like no employed on rolling contracts, undermining our nation’s intellectual capacity at the other for our sector and our Union. very moment we need to confront not only At the time of writing 12,500 of our recession but the devastating impacts of workmates, who should be teaching our climate change and global uncertainty. students, developing theory and innovation COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll across or running the administrative functions of our our sector but, as our Blue Stocking Week universities, are standing in unemployment demonstrated, it is women who have lines across the country. What’s more, 12,695 been particularly affected. Two-thirds is a gross underestimate of the real numbers of redundancies have been borne by of staff across our sector who have lost work. professional and general staff, 64 per cent of Alison Barnes National President It does not capture those working for private whom are women. education providers who bore the first wave of COVID-related job losses nor the many Moreover, evidence is emerging that the thousands of casuals who have silently been publications output by women has suffered let go. as a result of the double burden of managing work and life in lockdown. The longer-term A number cannot begin to capture the impacts will be to make it harder for women human cost of unemployment: the financial to gain promotion and widen the gender pay and emotional strain unemployed workers gap. endure. It doesn’t capture the story of people like Dash, employed for years on rolling The Federal Government, rather than valuing contracts at a private provider but who is the contribution of our universities, has now permanently leaving the sector; nor refused to throw the sector a life-line, thus members of our National Tertiary Casuals undermining the sector’s ability to perform Committee (NTCC) who haven’t worked for its core functions of teaching and research. months; nor Ali, a professional staff member The Government has stood by as job losses at Macquarie, who is applying for a VR as her swept our sector and, on three occasions, has workload spirals beyond breaking point. denied our colleagues access to JobKeeper, thereby effectively severing the relationship These job losses impact not only individuals between staff and their institutions. but also undermine the ability of our universities to contribute to the economic The recent passage of the Higher Education reconstruction of Australia. Support Amendment Bill reshapes the architecture of the sector in a way that not That said, the value of higher education only sees students pay higher fees but also to our society should never be measured provides staff with fewer resources. Yet by economics alone; the contribution of again, the Government has attempted to universities to the rich fabric of our society reignite the culture wars. Image (this page): 2020 International Women’s Day must not be discounted. We are witnessing march, Melbourne. 6 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Alison Barnes, National President Our million-dollar Vice-Chancellors, who generations of students; and, importantly, by-and-large have refused to advocate for the National Union of Students who their staff and students, are now incentivised campaigned alongside us. We pay tribute to make staff and students bear the cost to students in Tasmania like Miranda, who of the COVID-19 crisis. These are the same addressed our rally and joined with us in Vice-Chancellors we have had to fight for speaking to Senator Jacqui Lambie about safe workplaces, for arrangements for staff to what it is like for working class kids from work from home, and for COVID-19 leave for northern Tasmania who want to go to all including casuals. These fights continue. university. Members across Australia in their many, Although the Government succeeded in many thousands petitioned, wrote letters, passing their legislation by one Senator’s sent emails, attended snap actions and vote, we have not been deterred in the lobbied politicians to demonstrate their broader fight; and indeed, the Union has opposition to the Higher Education grown even stronger. The ongoing crisis Amendment Bill, which the Government in higher education forces us to continue had erroneously labelled (in a nod more to to focus on last year’s National Council marketing spin than real reform) their Job- priorities of building our workplace Ready Graduates package. structures, increasing our workplace density, Image (this page): Fund Uni Fairly rally at ANU, Sept 2020; Social media graphics from the Fund Uni Fairly and strengthening our power so that we are NTEU members made 400 submissions when campaign. robust enough to overcome the challenges the Federal Government first sought to gag our sector faces. our voice by attempting to block a Senate inquiry and then vastly reduced the time 2020 is an election year and we were available for submissions. Members made anticipating meeting and welcoming new videos telling their stories, asked friends and National Councillors. But, as with many family to write to crossbench MPs, and rallied things, face-to-face gatherings have been outside Parliament House. postponed and for the first time we will meet virtually. While our Council will be different In South Australia and Tasmania, NTEU and while we have faced an unanticipated members were at the forefront of this crisis, the increase in membership and the struggle and helped to launch the moving commitment and defiance of our members billboard, and stood up to their Vice- encourages me to hope that, if we continue Chancellors to pressure them to oppose to stand together, to organise and to build the Bill. Our members nationwide, via their our power, we will prevail. ◆ professional associations, sought to increase the chorus of people opposing the Bill and took to social media in their thousands to make the parliament and the public aware of their opposition to the Bill. While NTEU members stood united, we did not stand alone. Our actions in defence of the sector ensured that the Australian Labor Party, the Greens, and Senators Patrick and Lambie stood by us. We had the support of peak unions bodies across the country who emailed their constituents and sought to amplify our message. Our fellow unions joined with us: the Australian Services Union worked alongside us to highlight the impact on social work degrees; the Australian Education Union, whose members lobbied and wrote to MPs to highlight the impact of the Bill on future

7 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Alison Barnes, National President Matthew McGowan, General Secretary

The past 12 months have been government have failed us and the sector unlike anything experienced by our once again. union, and deeply painful for our Impact on jobs and our sector. members and the sector. The loss of jobs in our sector is not only a result of the havoc caused by COVID-19. COVID-19 hit the higher education sector early and very hard, and the grim warnings The lack of Federal Government support, about the impact of the loss of the and the decades of neglect of Australia’s international student market have played higher education sector has compounded the out as predicted. As hard hit as we have damage done by the virus. been by the global pandemic, the failure of The financial impact of the collapse in the Federal Government to support higher international income on the sector is Matthew McGowan General Secretary education has almost been as devastating a dramatic with an estimated loss of between blow. $3.5 billion and $4.2 billion. In facing into this challenge, the Union has The Union had warned of the risk of over- found strength – inspired and led by our reliance on international student income for incredible members. over two decades. This reliance has been NTEU members, delegates, elected encouraged by successive governments who officials and Branch committees have have relied on the income to drive increased shown resilience and courage, and in their domestic access without commensurate commitment to collectivism, they have increases in government funding. Our supported each other and fought for the teaching and research became hostage future of quality higher education. to government objectives to increase participation whilst decreasing per capita Our staff and members have worked expenditure. closely together to navigate through the harm caused by the pandemic, and our It is cold comfort to those in the firing union purpose and vision has revealed the line to be proved right. It is the staff and lack of leadership in so many university students who will bear the cost of this folly. managements. Government has not only failed to provide adequate support to the sector, it has At this time of stress and pressure, we compounded the harm to staff and students welcomed many new members into the through the Jobs Ready Package. Union, proving to all of us that we are stronger together, and that the role of unions The Jobs Protection Framework is well understood in our community. In this gloomy climate, the Union has stood The Union will emerge stronger and more strong, and acted early. When it became Images (this page): Jobs Protection Framework banner; resilient from this crisis, and we have proved clear how dramatic the damage was going Rachael Duncan (Melb) #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May 2020 our mettle, even as managements and to be, the Union sought to negotiate a Jobs 8 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Matthew McGowan, General Secretary Protection Framework with University of the crisis. This initiative was both an offer we are hoping that the election process will managements. The national framework was to new members, but it also provided existing resume again as soon as practical but some negotiated with the ability to be adjusted casual members relief from membership fees phases of the elections will probably not be to reflect the circumstances of different at this most perilous time. completed until early 2021. institutions. Sixty per cent of new members were from National Council, by electronic ballot, We sought to protect up to 10,000 jobs ongoing and contract staff who saw the endorsed a change to the Union’s rules in through collectively agreeing to cost saving Union as the only effective body working May, in order to extend terms of office until measures in exchange for guarantees to protect their jobs. This assessment new elections can be held, and to ensure of financial transparency, management was confirmed in early results from the continued proper operations during the accountability, and limitations on how COVID-19 edition of the State of the Uni pandemic. A further rule change is being employers would act to reduce jobs. survey where 70% of NTEU members stated presented to the Council to extend the they were satisfied or very satisfied with special COVID-related election arrangements Through Universities Australia (UA) Union efforts to protect jobs in the sector. into 2021. and the Australian Higher Education Only 15% expressed dissatisfaction. (It is Industrial Association (AHEIA), university interesting to note that 55% on non-union Debate makes our union strong. managements nominated four VCs to members expressed satisfaction and 15% I recognise that the Jobs Protection negotiate the framework with the NTEU dissatisfaction, but only 5% were unaware of Framework created debate, and the Union national leadership. After weeks of intensive any actions). has been criticised by some. I have been in negotiations, a historic agreement was the Union for more 25 years as a member, reached. While contentious, the package was The challenge for the Union will come next delegate, Branch committee members, state endorsed by 80% of NTEU National Council financial year (2021/22) when the impact and national official, and I have seen my members. With four senior VCs at the table, of job losses from across the sector flow share of heated and strong debates. And it we had reason to believe we were negotiating through. was expected and very reasonable to have in good faith. As we all know now, the disagreement about something as significant universities reneged on their agreement and Union finances as the Union’s response to the pandemic. walked away from the framework. The Union is in a strong financial position, delivered by record membership and reduced These debates make our union strong. What While those VCs who had signed the expenditure forced by COVID-19 limitations does not make our union strong is abusive agreement remained committed, others and unfilled staff positions. Key features for rhetoric, and the stoking of division when a worked to undermine it. There are many the 2019/20 financial year are set out in the position has been debated and lost. Only a reasons for this, but responsibility for Finance Report on p. 33. small number of people have been aggressive the collapse of the framework, and and have attacked the Union, its officers and the consequential loss of thousands Despite our strong financial position, its staff. Our staff and Branch Officers do not of jobs across the sector, must rest on the 2020/21 budget presents significant deserve such treatment. They deserve our the conscience of Chancellors and Vice- challenges as it is difficult to predict how thanks and support, even when we disagree. Chancellors across the country. I believe expenditure patterns will be impacted history will judge the current managements by ongoing COVID-19 measures. While Some of the people who disagreed with the of our university sector very harshly. membership income will improve Union’s position have established parallel significantly as a result of increased organisations to undermine the position of Despite university managements walking membership in the 2019/20 financial year, the Union. NTEU is incredibly democratic and away from the Framework, the NTEU has the impact of job losses is expected to member driven. But democracy doesn’t mean negotiated agreements at universities significantly impact on the 2021/22 financial getting your way, it means participating, that have accepted the transparency, year. debating, and at the end of that process – accountability and limitations on actions taking a position, sticking together and using sought by the Union. Variations to the The key highlights for the 2020/21 Budget our collective power. agreement have been negotiated and are as follows: implemented with NTEU consent at Monash, Finally, I would like to offer my deepest • Membership income to increase by about La Trobe, UWA, QUT, WSU, UTas, Wollongong gratitude to our staff, officers and colleagues. $429,000 or about 2.0% due to an increase and Adelaide. Everyone has worked hard this year, and for in members, at least in the first part of the some it has been the hardest year in memory. The NTEU has also won ballots against financial year. There are too many people to thank in the universities attempting unilateral unfair • Total salaries (including on costs) to space available, but without the support of changes – at Melbourne, Curtin, Wollongong increase by about $618,000. the National Executive, the staff of the Union, (leading to later negotiated outcomes), Division Secretaries and Branch Presidents, Southern Cross, Griffith, Curtin and Murdoch. • Operating and discretionary spending to we could not have managed to get through Staff at ANU and JCU have approved decrease largely due to limited travel as this year. variations to their agreements that were well as a decrease in meetings, conferences opposed by the Union. and other COVID-19 related items. Many Branch and Division office holders will step down for personal or professional Eight joint agreements were concluded, • A budgeted surplus of about $335,000. reasons, and other will leave as a consequence seven unfair management proposals NTEU will publish Audited Financial of the job losses ahead. To you all, thank you defeated, and two opposed variations Statements later in calendar year 2020 in for your support. Thank you for the years proceeded. It is estimated that 1,500 jobs line with regulations within the Registers you have put into representing and helping have been saved by Union negotiated Organisations Act and International members, most often on your own time. Your variations so far. Accounting Standards. effort has built a better union for all. Membership The Pandemic, Elections and Rules And to the National Officers, Alison Barnes Through all this, NTEU membership has Elections for Branches, for new National (President) and Gabe Gooding (National grown. We have seen an increase nationally Councillors, and for most Division positions Assistant Secretary), this year could not have of over 12% in the first 6 months of the year were due to be conducted in 2020. By been survived without your good humour, to our highest ever membership level. law, the Australian Electoral Commission encouragement, expertise, and effort. But (AEC) conducts all union elections, and has thank you mostly for your comradeship in the Around 40% of this growth came from casual suspended elections since March this year. most difficult and trying of circumstances. members who responded to the offer of 3 Democracy is central to everything we do, so We are all stronger together. ◆ months free membership offered at the start

9 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Matthew McGowan, General Secretary Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Secretary

As we all know, 2020 has been a and restructure processes, or through a mass year to remember and possibly one voluntary process, the loss of jobs is always a WHS issue that requires risk identification that we would all like to forget. and specific consultation through the WHS It has been deeply disturbing and mechanisms. There are strong powers in distressing for many members, the various Acts and it is great to see some Branches starting to use WHS to force and, as we approach the end of the meaningful engagement. More importantly, year we face a sector that is being looking at job losses through a WHS frame radically reshaped in ways that as well as an industrial one, gives us the will continue to challenge us in the best chance of mitigating the effects on the mental health of those who remain. future. Gabe Gooding National Assistant We encourage members and Branches Secretary The pandemic has upended our lives and our to continue to discuss the impact of work. This report is a reflection of the main redundancies, and over-work on our mental work that I have done this year. health. It is well past time that we accept that our employers are as responsible for risks to Work Health and Safety our psychological health as they are for risks Our original plan to build capacity in work to our physical health. health and safety (WHS) through a staged process, like many other things, went out Too many workers accept the proposition the window with COVID-19. Clearly our that if they suffer from excessive work- members now had urgent need for health related stress that it is their fault because and safety advice. I would like to sincerely they are ‘weak’ or ‘unable’ to cope. We thank the WHS Team who researched, would not accept the proposition that if a wrote fact sheets for Health and Safety worker broke a leg falling into a pothole it Representatives (HSRs) and members, was because their bones were too weak; we organised ongoing sessions for HSRs and would expect the cause of the injury to be helped with submissions. Campbell Smith fixed. We must not accept pathologising the (National Office), Alex Cousner (Queensland), individual as a way of allowing our employers and Corey Rabaut (Victoria) are all qualified, to avoid responsibility for working conditions committed and enthusiastic comrades who that cause psychological harm. have put in enormous work on WHS this year An enormous thank you to all those HSRs in addition to their other duties. who have actively worked to protect their A predictable and heart-breaking co-workers and who have participated in consequence of the pandemic and the Federal our sessions on WHS. You are the back- Government’s failure to adequately support bone of the WHS system, and for those our sector has been the massive loss of jobs. who don’t have a HSR in their workplace, Image (this page): Members taking part in the 2020 Whether through appropriate consultation please consider becoming one, there is great Melbourne Pride March., February 2020 10 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Secretary training and support and you can make a real close to 3000 submissions from employees difference. seeking information about or reporting instances of wage theft. Fact sheets and information can be found www.nteu.org.au/whs and are being added Branches are now working through those to and updated regularly. submissions (where we have contact details) and we expect to see outcomes within the Wage Theft next 6 months. We started this year with a comprehensive State of the University Survey, submission to the Senate Inquiry on wage COVID-19 edition 2020 theft (that covered theft from members at universities and private providers). The State of the University survey is We observed that in universities being conducted every two years with consistent employed as a casual is almost a necessary questions and was last held in 2019, well precondition for wage theft. This was clearly before the pandemic. We have circulated a an effective submission because it prompted special edition with some specific questions vehement and vigorous denials from some around the pandemic, the impact on Images (this page): Chloe Gaul displaying the ‘recipe Vice-Chancellors and the Australian Higher university workers, the effectiveness of the for wage theft’ at Melbourne University (Toby Cotton); Education Industry Association. response of managements, the Government Richard Hamilton (UNDA) #SaveHigherEd National Day and the Union, and some standard questions of Action selfie, 21 May 2020; Social media graphics for At last year’s National Council meeting we the Fund Uni Fairly and Wage Theft campaigns. on attitudes to determine how the pandemic announced settlement of an underpayment has altered (if it has) the attitudes of issue at a private provider that resulted in employees. around $2,000,000 being repaid to workers with many gaining greater job security. That A short preliminary report will be presented was due to the excellent work by Serena to the National Council meeting and a full O’Meley and the members who stepped up report will be released later in the year or in and organised their workplace. early 2021. Our plan was to springboard from this work Staff and comrades and apply it across the private provider In an extraordinarily difficult year it has sector. This was one of many projects that been an absolute privilege to work with the were put on hold for a while as we dealt dedicated NTEU staff who really pulled out with the impact of COVID-19 but we are now all stops to keep the Union running for our testing a new app for recording time taken by members. They have rapidly responded to casual staff that will produce solid evidence significantly changed circumstances and have and can be adapted for use in university adapted and developed techniques to make Branches. sure that we are there when members need NTEU has launched a major action in us. Thank you all. the Federal Court pursuing alleged Thank you also to my fellow National underpayments to workers at JMC Academy Officers, Alison Barnes and Matthew who are purported to be ‘independent McGowan. It’s been one hell of a year that contractors’. This is important litigation that I could not have survived without your could put the brakes on sham contracting in friendship and support. Thanks also to the private providers. the National Executive who have worked The University of Melbourne Branch engaged tirelessly throughout the year, and all those in a very successful campaign to address Branch Committees, delegates and members wage theft from casual academics and who have been so supportive in difficult they should be congratulated for that long, times. Solidarity all. ◆ dedicated, and often innovative campaign. But it was the comprehensive reporting by the ABC of wage theft across the country that really put the issue in the spotlight. In response to that coverage NTEU received

11 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Secretary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Caucus

www.nteu.org.au/atsi National Council 2020 – Motions Job-Ready Graduates Package – Impacts on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander motions A&TSI Director: Adam Frogley Islander participation A&TSI Organiser: Celeste Liddle from National Council 2020 have formed part of the annual work plan for the A&TSI Team. The Job-Ready Graduates package QLD/NT Division A&TSI Officer: The following motions were developed at announcement by the Education Minister on Phil Mairu (to Feb 2020) the 2020 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait 19 June 2020 detailed significant changes to Branch Organiser (Monash): Frank Gafa Islander Forum. higher education funding priorities.

A&TSIPC 2019–20 • C2a_Carry forward actions from 2019 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students National Council motions Course increases ranging between 28% – Chair Shane Motlap (to Dec 2019) • C2b_Identified positions and senior 113% to Law, Commerce and Arts/Humanities Acting Chair Sharlene Leroy-Dyer appointments courses respectively will factor highly into Deputy Chair Sharlene Leroy-Dyer considerations for many Aboriginal & Torres (from Feb 2020) • C2c_FNWA withdraw NTEU support Strait Islander peoples contemplating tertiary Division Representatives Federal Budget 2020/21 education. Tas Jacob Prehn 2020-21 Federal Budget, released on 6 On current full-year statistics (2018), 51% of Vic Terry Mason October 2020, saw further reductions to the total Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander WA Brendon DeGois the supplementary funding allocation and student cohort were undertaking courses forward estimates via the Indigenous Student under the broad fields of management and National Councillors Assistance Grants (ISAG) for Aboriginal commerce, society and culture and creative Sharlene Leroy-Dyer UQ & Torres Strait Islander student support arts. Terry Mason Deakin administered through the Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP). Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff Robert Anders UTas When compared to the previous year’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander academic Federal Budget and forward estimates, an and general/professional staff, like many overall funding decrease of -$177k has been other academic and general/professional applied to the ISSP in the 2020-21 financial staff, are facing loss of employment, reduced year, with a further -$3.78m removed from hours, additional tasks to their workloads the comparable forward estimates. and utilising annual leave and other leave to reduce university leave liabilities. As the key funding allocation supporting Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Support Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff are Centres and their staff, the Indigenous appointed to roles funded with Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP) provides Student Success Program (ISSP) funds and funding allocations to all Table A and B higher significant changes to student enrolments education providers to provide Aboriginal & will impact these Aboriginal & Torres Strait Torres Strait Islander students with culturally Islander student support staff significantly Image (this page): Celeste Liddle (right) at the Melbourne and may force staff reductions in student Invasion Day march, Jan 2020 (Brandan Bonsack) appropriate support and places of cultural support areas. Images (opposite page): Melbourne Invasion Day safety on campus. march, Jan 2020 (Brandan Bonsack) 12 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Caucus Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and afternoon). Sessions across the two days caucus meeting was also held to give the employment 2019 incorporated introductions, reports, yarn members an opportunity to hear from the 2019 University Staffing data was released on session and time for motion development National Executive Officers and the Policy 9 July 2020 by the Department of Education, and debate. A total of three Aboriginal Committee members regarding the Jobs Skills and Employment (DESE). Nationally & Torres Strait Islander motions were Protection Framework. developed and endorsed by the majority of there was an additional 117 Aboriginal & Membership Torres Strait Islander staff (headcount) attending delegates. National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander appointed to fixed term and ongoing roles, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Division membership stands at 514 on 9 Oct 2020. representing an 8% increase from 2018. Forums were also moved online and were For full-time equivalent (FTE) there was an held on a monthly basis from April. Online Membership experienced a 7% growth shortly additional 103 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Division Forums have been successful, and after the stages of pandemic lockdown were Islander positions created, representing a through this process we have attracted new implemented, and when coupled with the 7.8% increase from 2018. member activists who had not necessarily announcement pertaining to the casual fee attended an on-campus member meeting or waiver, membership during this time has National, Division and Casual an annual Division Forum prior to now. been increasing. In the period June to October Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander membership numbers have fluctuated Forums 2020 In 2021 the Team will continue to hold between 507 and 517. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, National meetings online to supplement the annual Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Forum was in-person meetings and campus visits across Campaigns, Education and conducted entirely online for the first time the country. Online meetings have been Communications useful and will be utilised further. in the history of National Forum, with over In 2020 as part of the NTEU National Office forty delegates registered to attend National Several casual member forums have also restructure, the National Organiser was made Forum 2020 via the Zoom platform. been conducted to ensure the A&TSIPC are an adjunct part of the National Organising National Forum was conducted over two providing a venue to hearing their concerns. and Campaigns Team. A National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander days, with two sessions per day (morning continued overpage...

Commencing and All A&TSI Students by Broad Field of Study 65,000 60,000 55,000 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Natural & Information Engineering & Architecture & Agriculture, Health Education Management & Society & Creative Arts Food, Hospitality Mixed Field Non-award Physical Technology Related Building Environmental & Commerce Culture & Personal Programs courses Sciences Technologies Related Studies Services 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

13 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Caucus Given NTEU’s existing policies on sovereignty Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander members and treaty, Adani, and the Community to have a secure platform to provide Development Program (CDP) there is a strong feedback on their situation. The National need to be better engaged in the broader Team follows-up on feedback obtained to union campaigns on these and other issues of provide assistance and advice. national concern. The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Following National Forum, delegate member feedback page is: www.nteu.org.au/ feedback indicated a great deal of interest atsi/member_feedback_page in undertaking Delegate training as well as Lateral Violence training. The National ACTU Indigenous Committee and Organiser will work with the Education and Unions NSW First Nations Committee Training Team and ACTU to provide further The A&TSIPC and Team have been attending training opportunities for Aboriginal & Torres scheduled meetings of the ACTU Indigenous Strait Islander delegates and members. Committee and Unions NSW First Nations Committee. eYarn has been co-opted into various forms this year ranging from a news circular, a NTEU is represented by A&TSIPC Acting meeting notification, promotion tool for the Chair and the National Organiser and have National Forum and finally a call for member continued our advocacy for the Community survey responses. In 2021 the National Team Development Program campaign and its envisions eYarn will return to a news circular goals, along with raising significant concerns format which will run at least 6 times per regarding the Voice, Treaty, Truth training year. Until this time the National Team will program. ACTU will hold the twentieth continue to contribute news through the annual Indigenous Conference in November NTEU’s Sentry publication and other member and NTEU will take part in several discussion publications. panels as part of the Conference program. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander With respect to the Unions NSW First member feedback page Nations Committee, NTEU is represented by the Director (A&TSI Unit). In recent months In light of the pandemic and subsequent the Unions NSW Indigenous Committee have significant changes to the sector, the drafted letters to NSW Parliament regarding Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Team have Image: National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander the Black Lives Matter campaign and the Forum 2020, held via Zoom. created a member feedback page to enable Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. TEU Hui 2020 NTEU participated in the 2020 Tertiary National A&TSI Staff - FTE & Number Education Union Hui via Zoom video on 2 1,800 September 2020. NTEU representatives, A&TSIPC Acting Chair and the Director 1,600 (A&TSI Unit) gave an overview of the status 1,400 of the Australian tertiary education sector, the Job Protection Framework and the Job- 1,200 Ready Graduates package. ◆ 1,000

800

600

400

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

14 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Caucus Queer Unionists in Tertiary Education (QUTE)

www.nteu.org.au/qute National Conference Resources QUTE National Conference 2020, Our Voice The QUTE caucus flyer was updated in 2020. QUTE Steering Committee at Work and Beyond, was attedned by over QUTE collaborated with Victorian Trades 50 participants in Melbourne in late January. Hall Council to run ‘Pride Chats’ on campus 2019–20 The Conference made four recommendations. that were used to develop the resource for Division Representatives Working parties have been established: LGBTIQ workers, End Divide Through Pride: A Resource for Workers, Unions and Employers. ACT Thomas Morrill UNSW (to Aug 20) 1. Education: a commitment to develop and NSW Kobie Howe NSW Div lead four Friday Forums a year. The draft NTEU Transition Guide for Staff and Elected Officers was completed, providing NT Alan Berman CDU 2. Darlington Statement: to develop a a framework and resources for assisting campaign to end medical intervention for Qld Amy Sergeant QUT transgender staff and elected officers. SA Liz McNeil Flinders intersex people. Collaboration Suzanne Edwards Adelaide 3. Policy Review: a review of union policies Tas Brendon Condon UTas and procedures to ensure inclusivity. Monthly national Zoom catch-ups were established. Catch-ups kept members Vic Virginia Mansel Lees La Trobe 4. World Pride: a commitment to contribute updated, provided an opportunity to suggest to the 2023 World Pride in Sydney. WA David Rhodes ECU new ideas and to ask questions. Staff Support Events QUTE stalwarts Virginia Mansel Lees and David Willis Vic Division Two LGBTIQ annual calendar events David Willis have resigned from their were held, remotely due to COVID-19: positions. The Union thanks them for their International Day Against Homophobia, boundless hard work and enthusiasm that has Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia built and sustained QUTE for many years. ◆ (IDAHOBIT) Day May 17 and Wear it Purple Day 28 August. Event resources were developed and distributed and national Zoom events held, in addition to local Branch activities. QUTE members participated in various Pride events and marches. Thirty participants joined the 2020 Melbourne Pride March. Actions QUTE members led affirmation of the Darlington Statement at National, Division and Branch levels. Images: Particpants at the 2020 QUTE National QUTE contributed to the NTEU responses to Conference in Melbourne, Jan 2020 (Paul Clifton); Wear It Purple 2020 social media graphic. the Federal Religious Freedom Review. 15 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Queer Unionists in Tertiary Education (QUTE) Women’s Action Committee (WAC)

www.nteu.org.au/women Due to COVID-19 closing down the National Office in March 2020, face- WAC 2019–20 to-face meetings of the Women’s Chair Alison Barnes Action Committee (WAC) were A&TSIPC Rep Anna Strzelecki UniSA replaced by two online meetings, Division Representatives which occurred in April and July. ACT General: Jo Washington-King UC Academic: Blair Williams ANU The focus of these meetings centred NSW General: Julia McConnochie UTS Academic: vacant primarily around the growing impact of the NT General: Sylvia Klonaris CDU Academic: Amanda Brain CDU COVID-19 crisis on our universities, and the Qld General: Gwen Amankwah-Toa QUT Academic: Leonie Barnett CQU feminised nature of the mass job losses that SA General: Cécile Dutreix UniSA Academic: Katie Barclay Adelaide have ensued. Tas General: Jenny Smith UTAS Academic: Natalia Nikolova UTAS However, the NTEU proceeded with Vic General: Karen Lamb ACU Academic: Virginia Mansel Lees LTU our annual Bluestocking Week, and the promotion of our women’s organising WA General: Corinna Worth Curtin Academic: Suzanne Jenkins UNDA networks in supporting our national Staff Support campaigns on opposing job cuts and the National Office Terri MacDonald Federal Government’s plans to cut funding to NSW Rhianna Keen Qld Noeline Rudland higher education. SA Juliet Fuller,Cheryl Baldwin Tas Emma Gill Key activities Vic Amelia Sully WA Donna Shepherdson • Monitoring gender equity legislation and progress in the sector. • Ensuring that gender balance, equity and advancement of women are integral to all NTEU structures, policies and practices. • Coordinating the annual Bluestocking Week event. • Contributing feminist critique to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, industrial and higher education policy and research Image (this page): From lockdown in Melbourne, analysis, materials and campaigns. National President Alison Barnes Zoomed into the NT Division’s Bluestocking Week live seminar hosted by • Participating in trade union women’s Sylvia Klonaris; Kerrie Mellick (JCU) and Leah Winslow activities. (GU) participating in the Anna Stewart Memorial project. • Engaging with and, where relevant, Image (opposite page): Cheryl Baldwin, Cécile Dutreix, Juliet Fuller and Jess Jacobson at the University of supporting research projects, conferences Adelaide during Bluestocking Week. 16 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Women’s Action Committee (WAC) and publications of interest to women in publication opportunities, tensions around members to work together to build a better the Union. work-life balance and carer obligations working life on the other side of the crisis. • Producing the women’s publication Agenda. (noting that the home schooling during Despite the limitations presented, Branches COVID-19 has fallen primarily to women) as and Divisions still held Bluestocking Week Women and COVID-19 at universities well as obstacles to career progression. events, with petitions, songs, discussions and cupcakes. Women now make up around 58% of There have been reports that women from university staff and consequently experience diverse backgrounds are facing additional The culmination of Bluestocking Week high levels of insecure employment; barriers to entry, retention, and progression, was a national seminar on Women, Work according to Universities Australia, women particularly in STEM areas, as a result of & COVID-19 that was attended by over are 1.5 times more likely to be in insecure COVID-19. There is evidence that some 300 members via Zoom. NTEU National jobs in the university workforce. university managements are winding back President, Alison Barnes, set the context and NTEU has projected around 30,000 higher equity programs that promote workforce introduced the two special guest speakers, education jobs to be at risk as a result of diversity. Professor Rae Cooper (Gender, Work and Employment Relations and Co-Director of both the COVID-19 crisis and the refusal We know from broader research that women the Women, Work & Leadership Research of the Federal Government to assist in any are also bearing the brunt of other COVID-19 Group) and Sarah Mosseri (Postdoctoral meaningful way. In tracking the various related stress, mental health problems Research Associate in Work and announcements by higher education and physical and emotional violence. The Organisational Studies). Both spoke about providers, we know that the majority of Union views domestic and family violence the disproportionate impact of the pandemic jobs that were initially lost were those held as a workplace issue, noting this violence on women and the widening of the economic by casual/sessional academics, lower level does not stop once the victim leaves home. gap between men and women. professional/general staff and researchers on However, in an environment where the target rolling contracts. of the violence is working from home, the Participation of women in the More recently, however, permanent academic risk to that person from their perpetrator university workforce increases dramatically. staff and more senior professional/general The latest Department of Education data staff are being targeted. Many of these Finally, the COVID-19 crisis has presented (2019) shows that there are 61,691 Full Time permanent jobs, particularly in academia, are many managers in universities with an Equivalent (FTE) women university staff, likely to be replaced by staff at lower levels opportunity to attempt widespread industrial making up 57% of all university staff. While and on casual/short term contracts. relations changes. This may in the long-term the Departmental data does not include Unfortunately, the recently passed Jobs-Ready result in wider restructures, less protections casuals, it is worth noting the proportion of Graduate package will not save one single job around redundancies, and increased women in difference areas and levels: casualisation through ‘flexible employment’ or provide the sector with additional ongoing • Teaching only: 59% women funding, despite a projected loss of $16 billion models. Union experience is that these in the next 3 years due to COVID-19. Instead, practices disproportionally impact women. • Research only: 46% women the Government’s changes will require Bluestocking Week • Teaching and research: 44% women universities to teach more students for less The impact of COVID-19 on women in higher • Other function (non academic): 65% funding per student overall, increase the women. financial burden on students and intensify the education, framed around the theme Women, already high levels of insecure employment. Work & COVID-19, set the tone for this year’s While higher education is feminised, the Bluestocking Week (31 August–4 September), more senior the level, the greater the While workload pressures have temporarily now in its 8th consecutive year. proportion of men: increased as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, there is a real concern that, for the staff who While the higher education sector is in crisis, • Above senior lecturer: 25% women. the high level of insecure employment and keep their jobs following the redundancy • Level C: 45% women. rounds, universities will seek to implement the inequalities that women in particular • Level B: 53% women. ways of extracting more labour, for less. The experience were present long before the next rounds of bargaining will be crucial in COVID-19 pandemic hit. • Level A: 51% women (however, this is preserving hard won rights and entitlements, While noting the mass redundancies, a likely to be an under estimation as casual/ particularly around workloads. growing gender pay gap, insecure work, sessional staff are usually appointed at level A, and are not included in the While women are at the forefront of and an antagonistic Federal Government, Government’s FTE data on levels). university job losses, the COVID-19 fallout Bluestocking Week 2020 focused both on has also resulted in decreased research and elevating the achievements of women in higher education as well as encouraging continued overpage...

17 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Women’s Action Committee (WAC) While the Department does not collect Elected Union officials data on levels in non-academic areas, the Below are the current numbers of elected NTEU’s own data as well as reporting by officials. It’s worth nothing that while women the Workplace Gender Equity Agency has are in the majority as ‘Branch officials’, they shown that the proportion of men increase fill less than half of the important roles substantially at managerial and senior including National and Division Councils and managerial level. as Branch Presidents. The Union may wish Participation of women in the Union to review strategies around mentoring and support for women in Union leadership roles. Over the last 19 years there has been a steady increase in the number of women NTEU The WAC has been involved in previous members. In 2000, women comprised 48% programs to encourage women within the of the Union’s membership, but this has now NTEU to take on activist and leadership grown to 59% in 2020 (up from 58% in 2019), positions, and would welcome the which is a slightly higher proportion than the opportunity to continue this work with sector overall. The largest group of NTEU Divisions and Branches. members are women academics at 10,217 (up from 8,793 in 2019), which comprise 56% of Position Women Men the Union’s women membership and 33% of National Executive 10 12 all members. National Councillors 46 59 In relation to casual members, women are Division Councils 73 89 also the majority at 58% (proportionally unchanged from 2019), which is consistent Branch Presidents 12 25 with the overall trend. As with the data Branch Officials* 213 186 for all members, the majority of casual members are women academics, comprising *Excludes Branch Presidents and National and Division 46% of all casual members. However, Council members, includes Sub-Branches. a difference with casual membership Looking to the Future compared to overall membership is that academic casual women make up 80% of all This year has presented the Union and the casual women members. WAC with many challenges and obstacles, yet we have continued to grow both in our There are relatively fewer casual general staff organising strength and in membership women (and men) taking NTEU membership numbers. The WAC is looking forward than overall but interestingly, casual women to using this momentum to build on our comprise 58% of all casual general staff advocacy work and fight for the issues that members, while for general staff members are important to women in our Union. ◆ overall, the proportion of women is higher at 66%. While this difference may be a reflection on the type of work being undertaken by general staff members who are insecurely Images (this page): NTEU Industrial Officer, Noeline employed, the NTEU should review our Rudland, Retired NTEU Griffith member and Emma Miller Award recipient, Sue Monk, and USQ Organiser, recruitment strategies that target general Patsy O’Brien starting the Qld Bluestocking Week and professional staff, particularly for casual/ meeting with a rendition of ‘Bread & Roses’; From lockdown in Melbourne, National President Alison contract staff. Barnes Zoomed into the CDU Bluestocking Week live seminar hosted by Sylvia Klonaris; Former federal ALP MP for Longman, former official with the United Workers’ Union, and now Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at QUT, Susan Lamb, spoke at the Qld Bluestocking Week event on why ‘Politics Matters’, how unionism and politics has improved the lot of women workers in Australia; Bluestocking Week 2020 poster. 18 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Women’s Action Committee (WAC) National Tertiary Casuals Committee (NTCC)

www.unicasual.org.au/ntcc In its first full year of operation, Democratic structures the NTCC has amplified the voices The pandemic saw significant disruption to NTCC 2019–20 of casualised workers in our Union, the momentum NTCC had built heading in to 2020. The Committee was not immune Representatives developed a plan to implement to the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, Elizabeth Adamczyk Newcastle NTEU priorities as they relate to particularly on casualised workers who have casualisation, and set up structures no job security, or to the contentiousness Dr Andrew Broertjes UWA of the Jobs Protection Framework, which Dr Tricia Daly Macquarie to facilitate participation and divided workers throughout our Union. The Ellyse Fenton UQ democratic decision-making. Committee lost six members in 2019-20. In mid-2020, the empty Tasmanian, SA, and Victoria Fielding UniSA (from May 2020) National Council 2019 Queensland positions were filled. James Harding Sydney (to Dec 2019) NTCC met in person for the first time at Annette Herrera Melbourne National Council 2019. Six members were Workload pressures and turnover in the Lina Koleilat ANU supported to make the trip to Melbourne NTCC saw a shift in focus to strengthening democratic structures to support member Nathaniel Lau UTas (to Dec 2019) to shape NTEU policy and priorities for the participation and distribute labour and Dr Audrey Statham Deakin (to Apr 2020) coming year, significantly enlarging the number of casual staff present at Council. leadership. To this end, the NTCC is in the Perpetua Turner UTas (from May 2020) process of updating its Terms of Reference William Wilding Swinburne While the Committee does not have voting to ensure they reflect the lived realities of rights at Council, the voices of casualised casualised workers. So far, this has meant Staff Support workers were heard loud and clear in adopting a rotating Chair and Secretary, Michael Evans National Office discussion on the floor. Arguing that setting meeting times democratically Lachlan Clohesy ACT Division casualisation is core Union business, the (including out-of-work-hours options), NTCC helped to move an unopposed motion and creating a space to store Committee directing our Union to review industrial and documents accessible to all members. organising approaches to de-casualisation in order to improve outcomes for casual staff in Shaping the future of our Union the 2021 round of bargaining. As uncertainty deepens in Australian higher NATIONAL TERTIARY education, it has never been more urgent Strategic Aims 2020-2022 to de-casualise our sector. The NTCC is CASUALS Continuing discussions began at National working with the General Secretary and COMMITTEE Council, NTCC members developed a set the Industrial and Legal Team to develop of Strategic Aims to guide the Committee’s recommendations for furthering the goal work to 2022. of de-casualisation in the next round of The Strategic Aims Discussion Paper sets out bargaining. four goals for the Committee to pursue in In addition, the Committee has contributed implementing NTEU priorities as they relate a motion to National Council 2020 aiming to to casualisation. Full list of aims is available Image (this page): NTCC members at National Council strengthen the voice of casualised workers 2019 (Paul Clifton) at www.unicasual.org.au/ntcc. in our Union. ◆ 19 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ National Tertiary Casuals Committee (NTCC) Industrial & Legal

www.nteu.org.au/rights The pandemic has delivered an industrial All union negotiated variations are temporary environment that we have never faced and contain job protection measures and Director (Industrial & Legal): before. Stand downs, quarantine orders, improvements in rights for members. Job Wayne Cupido campus closures, working from home, health protection measures include stronger limits Senior Legal Officer: and safety issues, JobKeeper (or lack thereof), to forced redundancies, no stand downs Kelly Thomas agreement variations and job losses, are without pay, new rights to work for casuals National Industrial Officer: some of the issues that Union has had to and fixed term staff, and no unnecessary Campbell Smith respond to this year. external appointments for the life of the National Industrial Officer (Research and variation. Most importantly, Union endorsed The National Industrial and Legal Team (NILT) Projects): Ken McAlpine variations will save more than 1500 jobs and acknowledges and thanks all members, increase management accountability. Industrial Support Officer: Branch, Division and National office staff Renee Veal who have supported us in responding to the A critical part of the Union negotiated The Unit is under the direction of the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at variation framework has been the General Secretary us this year. Without this collective response, establishment of the national Expert we would not have been able to perform the Assessment Panel (EAP). The EAP is a work outlined in this report. joint union-management auditing panel. The panel’s role is to forensically examine Bargaining university accounts and to assess whether Jobs Protection Framework & Enterprise there is a genuine need for any proposed Agreement Variations cost saving measures. Additionally, the In response to the impact of the pandemic Panel considers whether a University has on University budgets, and the failure of implemented other cost saving measures the Federal Government to provide any including cuts to senior executive salaries significant financial aid to the sector, the and discretionary spending. work of the National Industrial and Legal For the remainder of 2020 and in 2021, the Team (NILT) has been focused on enforcing NILT will continue to work with Branches and our members’ rights and negotiating Divisions to implement variations, and assist variations to enterprise agreements that every Branch to enforce the industrial rights protect jobs. Members of the NILT also of our members through what we expect to attended and assisted Branches and Divisions be a tumultuous time. at member meetings to consider variations. Review of Round 7 & prep for Round 8 NTEU variations have been negotiated at eight Universities, one non-union variation Over the past year the NILT undertook a (ANU) has been approved by the Fair Work much more comprehensive and detailed Commission (FWC), another (JCU) is pending analysis of bargaining outcomes in higher approval and subject to challenge by the education than has been done before. Clauses dealing with key issues have been Image (this page): Nicole Downes, Chloe Gaul, Trevor Union. Four non-union variations were voted Miller, Cassandra Prigg, Paul Drew and Carl Millard down by members at Melbourne, Murdoch, objectively assessed and compared to each at the NTEU protest outside Dan Tehan’s office in other across the sector, and there has been a Warrnambool, May 2020 (Mark Witte) Griffith and Curtin University. 20 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Industrial & Legal stock-take of gains and losses since Round 5. exercising intellectual freedom, and largely In a case that provided many wins along the This will inform Branches and relevant staff disregarded the historical and fundamental way (interim order significantly delaying about strengths and weaknesses going into notions of intellectual freedom. Ridd has now the process, orders for the production of Round 8. appealed to the High Court. documents) the Commission found in our favour, ordering management back to the National Office and the National Executive Murdoch University – Gerd Schrõder-Turk drawing board for proper consultation. have been analysing the impact of the Gerd Schrõder-Turk, the academic pandemic, the concerns of key membership representative on the Murdoch University University of Technology Sydney – Lucy Zhao – Research expectations groups and the attitude of the employers Senate brought a case against the University in developing an approach to Round 8 in when it attempted to remove him from UTS terminated the employment of Dr Lucy 2021, which is likely to be the most complex his position on the Senate because of Zhao for failing to publish in an A/A* journal. at least since that following the Howard- his appearance on Four Corners where he NTEU represented Dr Zhao in an unfair Government’s HEWRRs in 2005. criticised the University’s approach to the dismissal application and was successful in Coping with and assessing the impact of the recruitment of international students. gaining her reinstatement. UTS appealed pandemic has delayed strategy development the decision, claiming that the FWC had In a highly publicised court case, the expressed views which elevated teaching but major decisions will be made by a Special University also sought to sue him personally Council in December 2020. over research, however, the Full Bench for loss in revenue. The matter settled. Gerd found that there was no error in the original Bargaining in other sectors remains on the Senate and a review into decision. Dr Zhao is now back at work at UTS. governance has been announced. Bargaining outside the Higher Education Training sector has been ‘brisk’ with strong outcomes University of Sydney – Tim Anderson – on pay in TAFE agreements, Research Academic freedom The NILT has engaged in a variety of training institutes and English Language providers. NTEU has brought legal action on behalf activities. The NILT produced a Fact Sheet relating to COVID-19 issues, has engaged in The challenge (or opportunity) for the Union of Tim Anderson against the University of Sydney when it terminated his employment directed training at institutions with the Jobs remains increasing our density and activism Protection Framework in place, as well as in these areas so that we can achieve for exercising his intellectual freedom when posting his teaching slides on social media. delivered approximately 10 different training consistent entitlements for all our members. sessions for Industrial Officers and Branch Key disputes The University decided his posts were Presidents on a range of member rights and offensive and he breached the Code of entitlements. ◆ Over the last twelve months, the most Conduct. The trial will proceed in late significant disputes have largely fallen October 2020. across two themes – academic freedom and consultation over major workplace change. JMC Academy – Sham contracting The latter is in large part as a result of the JMC is a private provider offering degrees in creative media and performing arts. They impact of COVID-19 and the devastating Images (this page): Social media graphic celebrating impacts on job security in the sector. engage the majority of staff as ‘independent the Union win at Murdoch University, Sept 2020; ACT contractors’ meaning they do not receive members calling for paid parental leave for all staff James Cook University – Peter Ridd – (Lachlan Clohesy); #IStandWithGerd social media minimum award rates or superannuation. graphic. Academic freedom NTEU has been actively recruiting members In April 2019, Dr Peter Ridd won his case in there, and in September launched Federal the Federal Circuit Court against his former Court action on behalf of our members to employer James Cook University. The Court stop these exploitative practices. found that JCU had breached the intellectual Deakin University – Change management freedom clause of the enterprise agreement when it, among other things, terminated When Deakin management announced Ridd’s employment. JCU appealed that change plans that included a reduction of decision to the Federal Court, and NTEU around 400 positions, the Branch notified a sought leave to intervene in the appeal. dispute on the basis that management were not properly consulting on the university- In July 2020, the Federal Court found in wide change, and instead doing so on a siloed JCU’s favour, and did not allow NTEU to basis which gave staff no real opportunity to intervene. The Full Court found that the Code change management’s mind. of Conduct still applied to academics when

21 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Industrial & Legal Policy & Research

www.nteu.org.au/policy The most important issues workers who lost work or did not have their contracts renewed, with many universities Director (Policy & Research): addressed by the National Policy hiding their true numbers of casual workers Paul Kniest and Research Unit (PRU) during and the Government keen to play down Policy & Research Officers: the last 12 months have been the media coverage. Dr Terri MacDonald, Kieran McCarron profound impact of COVID-19 on The unit is under the direction of the While all sectors of the economy have National President universities and university staff and been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the the need for a sustainable and fair Government has been selective as to which sectors are to be saved. While they were funding framework for the sector. prepared to invest hundreds of billions COVID-19 in saving private sector jobs, our public universities were effectively excluded from While institutions responded early on in accessing the same assistance. Instead, using the pandemic by moving courses online the distraction of the COVID-19 crisis, the and amending their education offerings Morrison Government introduced its Jobs- and delivery, it soon become evident that Ready Graduate suite of policies which have COVID-19 would have more substantial and slashed public investment per student and, negative effects on the sector. on average, increased student fees. The significant reduction in university Policy Reviews and Budget Surpluses revenue, primarily as a result of the collapse of the international student market, is In policy terms, 2019 ended in a whimper. estimated to have cost our universities The Government released a number of policy somewhere between $3 billion and $5 billion reviews including the Coaldrake Review in revenue this year and up to $19 billion of provider classifications, the Napthine over the next few years. This, in turn, has led Review of regional tertiary education and the to the broadest and deepest loss of jobs the Noonan Review the Australian qualifications sector has ever seen. framework. While these job losses were initially felt by In November 2019 the Government released our casual, limited term and professional/ a set of practical guidelines (developed in general staff, a wave of voluntary and forced conjunction with universities) to counter redundancies has since flowed through foreign interference in the Australian to ongoing positions. As a result, over university sector. 12,600 jobs are now gone, with many more Secrecy and the corporate university Image (this page): Social media graphic for the thousands likely to follow; the NTEU’s own #BlocktheBill campaign; Greens leader Adam Bandt with the NTEU’s Fund Uni Fairly polly pledge. projections are for around 30,000 job losses The COVID-19 crisis has not only exposed the Government’s hostility toward our Images (opposite page):State of the Uni survey 2020; as a result of this current crisis. Shadow Education spokesperson, Tanya Plibersek, universities but it has also highlighted supporting our Find Uni Fairly campaign in Federal However, we know this does not include all the arrogance of university managements Parliament; #BlocktheBill Fund Uni Fairly social media of the thousands of casuals and fixed term graphic, Sept 2020. and their dismissive attitude to both staff 22 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Policy & Research and students. The transformation of our public investment by an average of 15% per confirming our sector’s structural reliance on universities from being important civic student and an increase in student fees by international students to maintain research. institutions operating for and in the public an average of 8%, resulting overall in a 6% interests of their students, staff and the reduction of funding per student. While Foreign interference, foreign relations, communities they serve, to corporate entities CA claimed the JRG polices would be good academic freedom and institutional operating in their own self-interest is all but for regional universities and regional and autonomy complete. disadvantaged students, sector analysis As if denying our universities any real support clearly showed that Aboriginal and Torres to get through COVID-19 and slashing Senior management could have chosen Strait Islander, women, low SES and regional public funding per university student by to share information about their financial students would be disproportionately 15% were not enough, the Government position and staff losses with their staff affected by fee increases. further demonstrated its hostility toward our by participating in the NTEU’s proposed public universities, proposing to interfere in Jobs Protection Framework (JPF) discovery The Government also accepted One Nation their day to day operations in several very process. But, with a few exceptions, instead amendments to give students who pay their important ways, including: of being paragons of transparency and public fees up-front a 10% discount and to limit accountability, the senior management of our access to Commonwealth supported places • The introduction of foreign interference public universities have opted for managerial (CSP) to seven years. The amendments also guidelines. prerogative and secrecy. require a review in 18 months. • Introducing new foreign relations Government support for higher ed Although One Nation claimed that their legislation which would require all ‘deal’ with the Government also went government and public university While the Government injected over $150 to defining academic freedom and free arrangements with foreign entities to be billion dollars into supporting businesses and speech legislatively (noting that these are consistent with government foreign policy, their employees in the wake of COVID-19, distinctively separate issues), at this stage even if that policy is not public or changes. its support package for public universities no changes have been made to academic amounted to a little over $40m over a five- • Trying to amend the provider freedom provisions in the Higher Education year period, or the equivalent of $212,000 per classifications standards and use the Support Act 2003. university per year. ERA to quantify the quality of university Federal Budget research. To make things worse, the eligibility rules for JobKeeper were amended three times in The October COVID-19 Budget delivered • Making it illegal for universities to enrol order to explicitly exclude Australia’s public 12,000 additional CSPs and 50,000 additional someone as a Commonwealth supported universities. discounted fee short courses (micro- student if they have failed half of the credentials) to the higher education sector subjects attempted under their degree. Job-Ready Graduates policies for 2021. The additional CSPs will be national In 2019, the Government concocted a ‘crisis On the back of embarrassingly inadequate priority disciplines and details as to how they of free speech’ and enacted a review (known COVID-19 support package, the Government will be allocated are yet to be released. The as the French Review) of university policies was able to get its Job-Ready Graduates (JRG) bulk (up to 80%) of the short courses are bill through Parliament. expected to be delivered by non-university continued overpage... providers. The Government has made The passage of the Bill required the available public funding for non-university Government to deal with South Australia’s providers to run the short programs in Centre Alliance (CA) and Pauline Hanson’s priority areas. One Nation parties. Lower House MP Rebekha Sharkie and Senator Stirling Griff, The $1 billion additional research support both from CA, said they supported the JRG announced in the Budget is very much a because it would give universities funding short, sharp sugar hit. It is here for 2021 certainty. but will evaporate in 2022. While it might help some research jobs in 2021, it does They also claimed as a win the leveraging of nothing to address the underlying issues additional government supported places for of underfunding of research and insecure SA’s three universities and the classification contingent employment amongst research of these universities as ‘regional’, thus academics. delivering an increase in funding load. It is premised on the hope that international However, their arrangement delivered for student revenue will return from 2022, the entire sector the certainty of a drop in

23 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Policy & Research around both academic freedom and free university job losses, the Government’s JRG speech on campuses. While former High changes and academic freedom. Court Chief Justice Robert French found there The Unit has made numerous parliamentary to be no evidence of a ‘crisis’, the Government submissions, including to the COVID-19 continued to push its ‘free speech’ agenda, inquiry and around the JRG package, and which appeared primarily to reflect the appeared before Senate Committees on Government’s long running view that there multiple occasions to argue on behalf of our is ‘left-leaning bias’ on university campuses members and higher education staff and shutting down academic debate and skewing students more broadly. curricular. The PRU also engaged directly with NTEU The Government insisted on universities members, activists, delegates and organisers, adopting new guidelines on academic providing online seminars and briefings, freedom and freedom of speech, and has creating dozens of briefing papers, memos now organised a review to determine which and campaign flyers, and contributing to universities are yet to adopt the supposedly the Union’s broader print and social media ‘voluntary’ guidelines as institutional policy. publications. While the Union has long held the view We assisted in briefing the media, supported that academic freedom can be legislatively the Union’s campaign ‘snap actions’ and strengthened, the reality is that the only way encouraged our members to participate in to ensure the protection of academic freedom the NTEU’s lobbying efforts, including the is through our industrial agreements. We are more than 400 member submissions to the also concerned about the possible dilution of senate review the JRG legislation (which we academic freedom by conflating it with the had lobbied for). principles of free speech. We engaged directly with the opposition State of the University Survey parties and independent crossbenchers to The PRU has produced a new analysis of 2019 leverage support for the NTEU’s position State of the Uni survey data, building on the and worked closely with other unions, time series created by previous surveys. including the AEU, ASU and ACTU, as well as professional bodies in support of the JRG In addition, a special 2020 COVID-19 campaign. edition of NTEU State of the Uni survey was produced to specifically aide the Union’s While the work of the PRU has been integral efforts to gauge the impact of COVID-19 in supporting the Union’s activism, lobbying on university staff. This survey was sent and campaign work, we have also been to around 200,000 sector staff and asked focused on the Union’s continued efforts to specific questions about the impact of build strength and membership. Importantly, COVID-19 on working lives, staff mental we continue to advocate for an equitable health, and attitudes towards key sector and fairly funded sector, where access to a participants and government policy changes. university education is based on merit and not capacity to pay. ◆ Lobbying, campaign & industrial work The PRU has been active in the Union’s lobbying, campaign, and industrial efforts, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 crisis,

Images (this page): ACT members demonstrating out the front of Federal Parliament (Lachlan Clohesy); #BlocktheBill Fund Uni Fairly social media graphic, Sept 2020. 24 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Policy & Research Image: Fund Uni Fairly full page advertisement placed in the Burnie Advertiser, Sept 2020 25 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Policy & Research Organising, Campaigns & Communications

National Organiser (Media & It has been an intensive year for focus to ensure we can recruit, organise and Engagement): Michael Evans campaigns, communications & build power into the future. As new tech National Organiser (Digital): Jake Wishart tools come online to support our organising organising in the NTEU national National Organiser (Publications): and campaigning efforts, there will need to Paul Clifton office, with a series of crises be a programme of training and new practices developed to ensure staff and workplace Admin Officer (Membership & affecting Australia, our sector and Campaigns): Julie Ann Veal leaders are supported to get the best out of our union. the tools available. Bushfires in summer were followed by the The below timeline and attachments are a COVID-19 pandemic-recession, followed by short summary of some of our work this year. an ideological Government attack on fairness Much of our front-facing communications and funding for higher education. These work is also publicly available for review on rolling events have created an unprecedented our social media channels. challenge to some of our traditional methods. 2020 Running Timeline Despite these challenges, the campaigns, comms and organising team in the national January 2020 office has played an important role in 9th Members were emailed about the NTEU pioneering new ways of working together, Emergency Grants scheme of up to $1,000 campaigning, communicating and organising for members affected by the fires, OHS in an often-hostile environment. Based on information about hazardous air quality and Melbourne, we have worked remotely and their workplace rights about accessing leave relied on our ability to experiment with and other entitlements. new forms of digital strategy, tactics and co-ordination. We are proud of the role we February 2020 have played in advocating for our sector, 10th NTEU writes to all Vice-Chancellors our members and our union in which has raising concerns about workplace health truly an annus horribilis for many people. and safety, workloads, maintaining work for It is encouraging to see a growth in union casual staff, and racism on campuses. membership and activity, and we believe some of this can be linked to the work we 14th NTEU writes to Education Minister have undertaken. calling for a support package. In addition to our front-facing campaign NTEU holds live TV cross at Monash work to defend our union from major attacks, University to advocate for staff, those in behind the scenes we have been working to insecure work and international students. improve our digital capacity, including the 27th Australian Government declares development of a range of new tech tools to that COVID-19 will become a global track, communicate with and organise our pandemic. During this time, universities members, potential members and community Images (this page & opposite page): Social media were scrambling to get as many courses as graphics from the NTEU’s #FundUniFairly campaign. supporters. This work will be an ongoing possible ready for online delivery. 26 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Organising, Campaigns & Communications March 2020 April 2020 QUTE network digitally, standing against 1st First recorded death from COVID-19 in 1st Briefings commence for NTEU Branches homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Australia. on the possibility of a jobs protection 20th NJPF endorsed by 80% vote at a framework. 10th NTEU launches COVID-19 website. meeting of NTEU National Councillors. 5th NTEU email to members launching 11th WHO declares a pandemic. 21st NTEU National Day of Action, ‘You ‘Morrison Monday’, encouraging members to have one job’, calling for a genuine rescue 12th Government announces first stimulus post on social media and ring PM Morrison’s package for the sector. Trending number 1 package, with no relief for casual workers or office calling for a rescue package. on Twitter in Australia, flooding the internet the higher education sector. 7th Universities Australia warns the sector is with thousands of photos of members and 16th NTEU launches scorecards displaying facing a deep crisis, with up to a $4.5 billion supporters, and full-page ads in newspapers. how Vic universities are looking after staff shortfall in revenue this year, threatening up Video of NDA action here. and slowing the spread of COVID-19. All to 21,000 jobs in the next six months. 26th NTEU withdraws NJPF following at states and territories covered in following 12th Federal Government announces so- least 20 VCs refusing to support it. days. By the end of March, 28 universities called ‘relief’ package for the sector. NTEU had committed to at least a minimum 10 28th Action out the front of Josh response is that the package is ‘smoke and days special leave to cover isolation periods, Frydenberg’s electoral office. mirrors’, as it effectively contains no new including for casual staff. money for the sector. June 2020 18th Australian Government introduces an 14th NTEU email to higher education staff Ballots on NTEU-endorsed variations to indefinite international travel ban. details extent of crisis, outlines a possible enterprise agreements modelled on the NJPF are carried at La Trobe, UTAS, WSU, UWA 19th NTEU launches megaphone petition Jobs Protection Framework, and asks staff and Monash, following intensive campaigns ‘Don’t make uni staff pay’ for COVID-19 with to send an email to the Education Minister involving online workplace meetings and members Steve Adams and Amy Thomas, calling for a real rescue package. calling individual members and other staff. demanding paid leave for uni staff (including 23rd Over 1,800 people send an email to the casuals) and a support package for our Education Minister, and over 12,000 sign the A ballot on an agreement variation that was sector. Petition attracts 12,5700 signatures petition. opposed by NTEU members at the University – including members, non-members and of Melbourne was defeated, while a similar community supporters. NTEU commissions 24th Online briefing for NTEU National ballot at ANU was narrowly carried. A ballot union artist Sam Wallman to produce artwork Councillors. The briefing endorsed the on various options at the University of around theme of isolation and solidarity to NTEU’s negotiation with VCs for a National Wollongong was defeated, for management support our recruitment and communications Job Protection Framework, with an 85% to consider a further Union-endorsed option. efforts during the crisis. majority voting in favour of the motion. 12th I Stand with Gerd campaign win – 19th NTEU writes to all VCs raising members’ 28th Dr. Alison Barnes and members Murdoch backs down and reached settlement concerns about the failure to ensure social flood the ABC Q&A program with videos & with Gerd. distancing rules. questions for Minister Tehan, demanding a 17th real support package to #SaveHigherEd. Members at Navitas win back $100,000 22nd Federal Government announces after NTEU successfully pursued the ATO. second stimulus package (increased 29th NTEU launches Sentry online magazine 19th JobSeeker payments through Newstart), to keep members informed and in touch Education Minister Dan Tehan excluding our sector again. during the COVID-19 crisis. announces the proposed Jobs-Ready Graduates legislation, which will cut overall 25th NTEU National Executive agrees May 2020 sector funding by $1 billion and more than to open discussions with employers on a 1st Video released on social media to reflect double the cost of many courses, particularly sector-wide response to COVID-19, calls on the crisis we are facing and the campaigning, humanities. universities to guarantee pay and conditions advocacy and resistance of our union & 19th On the same day as Minister Tehan for all staff and protect staff health and members safety, and calls on the Federal Government announces this attack, NTEU launches a for a support package. 13th Landmark agreement between NTEU digital campaign in rapid response, with an and universities, the National Jobs Protection online petition and strategic communications 30th Federal Government announces third Framework (NJPF), launched. to defend access to education for all. Petition stimulus package (JobKeeper subsidy). garners 16,000 signatures and forms Universities effectively ineligible for 17th IDAHOBIT Day – Celebrated diversity foundation for the Fund Uni Fair campaign. JobKeeper subsidy. and equality with members and the continued overpage... 27 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Organising, Campaigns & Communications July–October 2020 • Over 80 NTEU Tasmanian members, NTEU launches ‘Fund Uni Fairly’ campaign students and supporters attended an to oppose the Tehan package. We utilised a online meeting on 24 September to discuss myriad of tactics deployed to block the bill the Bill and our campaign. and change the conversation. • Over 180 people attended a national online seminar on 25 September to hear a Campaign activities included: presentation on the Bill and the campaign. • Over 16,000 people signed our Fund Uni The meeting culminated in participants Fairly petition to Education Minister Dan sending emails to the crossbench Senators, Tehan. The petition was tabled in the phoning their offices, and tweeting and Senate by ALP Senator Louise Pratt on 2 posting on social media to get the message September. across to the MPs. • Actions with members in Tasmania and • Nearly 300 people attended a snap online South Australia, pressuring key political action called on 2 October and sent decision makers. messages and emails to Centre Alliance • Nearly 6,000 people sent emails to the MPs, urging them to block the Bill crossbench Senators urging them to block Despite the Bill eventually narrowly passing the Government’s legislation. the Senate by one vote on 8 October, our • Over 100 members from three NSW campaign successfully changed the frame and Branches sent emails to National Party won public support in a conversation which MPs and Senators urging them to block was about fairness and access, not ‘no-job vs. the Bill because of the potential effects on pro-job’ degrees. regional universities. We engaged with and mobilised thousands of • Nearly 600 members and supporters sent members and supporters, and strengthened submissions to the Senate inquiry on the our political networks with the ALP, the Government’s proposed legislation (over Greens, Senators Rex Patrick (SA) and Jacqui 80% of the submissions received by the Lambie (TAS) to vote against the Bill. Our Senate inquiry were negative about the campaign for fair uni funding will continue to proposed changes to funding). run until the next federal election. We have reviewed our campaign strategy, tactics and • We developed a Fund Uni Fairly pledge team management so as to build a shared that was signed by ALP and Greens MPs, knowledge of best-practice for the next big independent Senator Rex Patrick from fight. South Australia, and Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie. 13th NTEU wins court case defending the right to protest against NSW Police. • We regularly targeted social media ads at the crossbench Senators urging them to Magazines and journals block the Bill. • We ran a full-page advertisement in the Advocate Burnie Advocate on 21 August, urging the Advocate (editor Alison Barnes) was published crossbench Senators (and Jacqui Lambie in in November 2019 (vol. 26, no. 3), March particular, as Burnie is her hometown) to 2020 (vol. 27, no. 1) and July 2020 (vol. 27, block the Bill. no. 2). The March edition was the first with • We launched a mobile billboard with a renewed cover and layout design. The July Rebekha Sharkie’s face and own words on 2020 issue was sent to all members’ home it and drove it around her electorate. addresses due to the lockdown. Image (this page): SaveHigherEd full page • Our ACT members demonstrated against Advocate is sent to all members. Average advertisement, The Age, 21 May 2020; Agenda, Sept the Job-Ready Graduates bill in front 2020; Australian Universities’ Review, Sept 2020. print run for the last year was 24,500, plus of Parliament House on 28 August, the 7,000 e-delivery. The last three digital Images (opposite page): Sentry, Oct 2020; Advocate, July 2020; Connect, Sept 2020; Social media graphic first sitting day of the last Parliamentary editions averaged 578 PDF downloads (with from Fund Uni Fairly. session. 28 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Organising, Campaigns & Communications PDF downloading doubling for the lockdown Agenda Fund Uni Fairly issue of July 2020), 4,440 email unique opens Agenda (editor Alison Barnes, produced in Fact sheets, briefing papers, banners, social and 625 issuu e-mag impressions. conjunction with WAC), was published in media graphics, videos, newspaper adverts, www.nteu.org.au/advocate September 2020. It was a digital-only issue, Zoom backgrounds, a website and multiple and was partially re-designed to suit this activist tools were produced for our campaign Sentry format. against the Job-Ready Graduates package. Sentry (editor Alison Barnes) was launched Agenda is sent to all members with sex listed www.nteu.org.au/fundunifairly in March 2020. It is a new digital monthly as female or other. Digital print run for this magazine, created as a response to the year was 18,951. The edition garnered 315 Events COVID-19 pandemic. Sentry was designed PDF downloads, 6,130 email unique opens to keep members informed and up-to-date and 400 issuu e-mag impressions. Print and digital items were created for: during the shutdown of campuses. Published • QUTE Conference (January 2020). monthly, between issues of Advocate, it www.nteu.org.au/agenda contains updates on NTEU campaigns and • Bluestocking Week (August 2020). ◆ NTEU Tax Guide 2020 policy work, plus stories and advice from members relating to current events. Produced in conjunction with Teacher Tax, the NTEU Tax Guide was published in July Sentry is sent to all members. Overall, the five (A4, 10pp, digital only). The 2020 edition has editions have been well received, averaging totalled 7,383 PDF downloads (an increase 740 PDF downloads, 19,500 email unique of 490% on 2019), and 1,967 issue e-mag opens and 1,790 issuu e-mag impressions. impressions (increase of 360%). www.nteu.org.au/sentry www.nteu.org.au/tax AUR Campaign publications Australian Universities’ Review (AUR), edited by Ian Dobson and overseen by the AUR Editorial National Jobs Protection Framework Board was published in February 2020 (vol. A 18-page digital brochure explaining the 62, no. 1) and September 2020 (vol. 62, no. 2). Union’s Job Protection Framework (JPF) was AUR is sent to all members who opt-in to published in May. The PDF was downloaded subscribe. Average print run for the last year 11,000 times (the highest ever for any NTEU was 3,050, plus 12,750 e-delivery. AUR digital publication), and there were 47,378 issuu editions average 1,330 PDF downloads. e-mag impressions. The two editions this year averaged 5,800 Scorecards were produced for each Division email unique opens and 2,000 issuu e-mag detailing every institutions’ commitment to impressions. protecting and supporting staff. These were www.aur.org.au updated whenever new information was received, and were successfully used to lobby Connect VCs to deliver better outcomes for members. Connect (editor Alison Barnes, produced in A range of fact sheets were produced conjunction with the NTCC) was published covering the JPF for casual members, for in March 2020 (vol. 13, no. 1) and September Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander members, 2020 (vol. 13, no. 2). The March edition for women, with relation to JobKeeper & the launched a new cover and layout design. Higher Education Rescue Package, and the Connect is sent to all casual members. vision for higher education. Average print run for the last year was Wage Theft 6,275, plus 2,075 e-delivery. The 2020 digital editions averaged 184 PDF downloads, 1,080 Fact sheets, social media graphics and a email unique opens and 565 issuu e-mag website were created in support of the wage impressions. theft campaign. www.unicasual.org.au/connect www.nteu.org.au/wagetheft

29 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Organising, Campaigns & Communications Union Education

www.nteu.org.au/myunion/education_ Union Education provides Union Education ensures knowledge and training education and training to NTEU good practice that already exists within the Union is recorded, accessible and shared. Education & Training Organiser: officers, members and staff which Union Education resources are made Helena Spyrou supports the Union’s objectives. accessible via the NTEU SharePoint site. The The program is overseen by the National It is delivered by National Union NTEU Wiki and the Friday Sessions are two Assistant Secretary examples ways of sharing knowledge. Education Organiser Helena Spyrou along with National, Division and Shift in focus for Union Education Branch staff and officers. Two things shifted the focus in 2019-2020. Education Program Firstly, as a result of the managing change process in 2019, Union education now has Union Education engages NTEU members one person in the position, not two and a and staff as active learners engaging greater emphasis is placed on organising with complex issues. It builds on existing and delegate and activist leadership knowledge and asks participants to development. This means a greater focus on reflect upon their practice to develop new the education and professional development knowledge and practices. of existing (and new) staff, newly elected Most work aims to be consistent with Union’s NTEU leaders and delegates. Union Education 2007 Education and Training Framework, also has a reduced role in hands-on delivery which has three subject areas – the Union, of courses in the Branches and Divisions the higher education system, and work and a greater role in developing courses and and employment, and three components – programs that will assist the Union to achieve knowledge, activities and practices. its goals. The program is a mix of content identified Secondly, due to COVID-19 closing down and requested by members and staff, and the National Office in March 2020, Union content identified by senior officers and the Education began prioritising member and National Executive as supporting urgent or delegate development through online important priorities. delivery and closely supporting with other units – Policy, Industrial and Communications Union Education develops education in organising briefings and workshops and in materials and training manuals to implement educating staff, delegates and members in the program, including ‘train the trainer’ the use of online tools and in the delivery of education. We provide expert content online workshops. design, coordination, and delivery to NTEU Image (this page): Members protesting to conferences and workshops, such as the: As well as producing materials for organisers #SaveHigherEd outside Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s electoral office, May 2020. Elected Leaders Conference, Women’s and other staff to use to develop the organising and activist skills of members Images (opposite page): Griffith Branch Vote No poster, Conference, A&TSI Forum, Governance Aug 2020; Social media graphic celebrating the Union Workshop and All-Staff Conference. and delegates, Union Education has assisted win at Murdoch University, Sept 2020. 30 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Union Education some divisions in running online briefings and series with a focus on the Job Protection A mini-series of webinars was also introduced workshops for members and delegates. The Framework Variation to the UTAS Enterprise that uses NTEU staff expertise to focus on focus of these briefings and workshops has Agreement. effective online organising and campaigning centred primarily around the growing impact with delegates and members. This mini- of the COVID-19 crisis on our universities, the Featuring delegates and members in series is for NTEU organisers, industrial mass job losses that have ensued, WHS and NTEU publications organisers, industrial officers, comms staff the Job Protection Framework. Union education has been working closely and elected officers in Branch Committees. with publications to feature member and Delegate and activist leadership NTEU Scholarship Program delegate profiles and activist involvement as development through online delegate well as feature articles from member experts Union Education administers two NTEU workshops in each edition of Advocate, Agenda, Connect scholarships: Joan Hardy Scholarship for Union Education has worked closely with and Sentry. post-graduate nursing research ($5000) and some Divisions to develop an online program Carolyn Allport Scholarship for post-graduate for delegates and activists who aspire to Training on Enterprise Agreement feminist research ($15,000 over three years). a greater future role in the Union. This Variations – UTAS, La Trobe, UWA , In 2020 Normally a decision is made within provides more advanced knowledge about Monash, Adelaide two weeks of the closing date. the sector, and policy and industrial issues The National Industrial Unit ran training However, this year we received an – for example, union history and politics, session for Members of the CTMC (the joint unprecedented number of applications – being an effective workplace leader, along committee established by the variations 16 for the Joan Hardy Scholarship and 164 with learning specific workplace intervention to the EBA) and officers and staff directly for the Carolyn Allport Scholarship and skills (e.g. WHS, how to find out what involved in the implementation of the Jobs we had to extend the date to give time to members think) and include the existing Protection Framework (JPF). the assessors to read and consider each general courses. Union education has been following up with application. The scholarships were awarded The SA Online Delegate Training Series is each branch with a second session that in October 2020. ◆ one example which began as a response to identifies and plans organising opportunities COVID-19. Union Education worked with Jess in the JPF variations and developing an Jacobson, University of Adelaide delegate, organising plan. Union education will also run and Cheryl Baldwin, SA Division Industrial a third session where each Branch involved Organiser, to shape the first series based will report on and evaluate progress and on delegate feedback. The first series of adjust their organising plans. four workshops ran in May and June and the success of this series prompted the Induction arrangements for new staff organisers to put together a second series of Union Education keeps updated an online four workshops ran in July and August. induction kit and runs a two-day national induction course to learn about their role and The aim of this series is to encourage the sector. Two courses were run during this delegates to become more skilled and active period. in their workplaces and to work collectively to learn from and educate each other. Each Financial governance training one-hour session is run as an interactive workshop encouraging participants to Union Education provided the mandated engage in discussion, undertake an activity financial governance training to new officers. during the session and a follow up activity The Friday Sessions – interactive after the session. The organisers ensure that online education sessions future delegate workshops and activities can include both face-to-face and online The Friday Sessions program, held interaction. fortnightly, continued throughout this period and have focused members, officers This series acted as a model for other and staff running briefings and workshops Divisions to take up similar projects. Union mainly focusing on growing impact of the education also worked with Emma Gill, COVID-19 crisis on our universities, the mass Tasmanian Division Industrial Officer and job losses that have ensued, WHS and the Job Janine Bryan, Tasmanian Division Organiser to Protection Framework. help them develop their own online delegate

31 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Union Education Recruitment & Retention

National Organiser (Media & One of the few good news stories try to protect as many jobs as possible, and Engagement): Michael Evans to come out of 2020 has been the particularly those of casual and fixed-term National Membership Officer: staff. Melinda Valsorda growth in NTEU membership. NTEU continues to receive support from For the first time ever membership has university staff that is clearly much higher passed the 30,000 mark, peaking at 31,002 in than its membership numbers – as evidenced June 2020. by the strong supporting vote that the The Union has grown because it has Union’s position has achieved in ballots on demonstrated to higher education staff proposed variations to enterprise agreements that it is the organisation that will best try at several universities. to look after their interests, especially in a Our challenge is to translate that support into time of crisis, which has been the majority of higher and stronger levels of membership 2020. And members know that the Union is and activism, as we move towards another strongest when significant numbers of staff bargaining round starting in 2021. ◆ in a workplace are members, and working together. In the face of serious revenue shortfalls at many universities which are leading to job losses, NTEU’s highest priority has been to

NTEU total membership numbers at 30 June, 2010–2020

32,000 30,953

30,000

27,458 27,529 27,608 28,000 27,355 27,153 27,187

26,111 26,000 26,675

24,279

24,000 24,318

22,000 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

32 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Recruitment & Retention Budget & Finance

Finance Manager: Glenn Osmand The National Finance Unit • Expenditure under budget by about Senior Finance Officer: Gracia Ho oversees all financial processes $511,000. Finance Officers: Alex Ghvaladze, Tamara through the centralised collection The Defence Fund contribution rose from 3% Labadze, Lee Powell, Daphne Zhang to 6% this financial year. and distribution of members’ fee income, budget setting and The key highlights for the 2020/21 Budget are as follows: the preparation of income and expenditure statements for all • Membership income to increase by about 2019-20 Union Expenditure $429k or about 2.0% due to an increase in levels of the Union. members, at least in the first part of the The Unit also completes all disclosure financial year. Defence Fund Allocation 6% requirements required by the Registered • Total salaries (including on costs) to Organisations Commission. increase by about $618,000. Discretionary 7% Financial probity and the responsible • Operating and discretionary spending management of members’ funds is central to to decrease largely due to limited travel Operating the Unit’s work, with each level of the Union as well as a decrease in meetings and 12% being required to account directly for all conferences and other COVID-19 related Branch & Division expenditure transactions with three separate items. Salaries National O ce levels of authorisation and review. 55% Salaries • A budgeted surplus of about $335,000. 20% Key features for the 2019/20 financial year NTEU will publish Audited Financial are set out in the chart below, and include: Statements later in calendar year 2020 in • An operating surplus of $348,000 (against line with regulations within the Registered a budget deficit of $226,000). Organisations Act and International Accounting Standards. ◆ • Membership income was lower than expected by $24,000.

Budget 2019/20 Actual June 2020 Variance INCOME $ $ $ Membership Fees 23,297,000 23,273,000 -24,000 Other Income 5,000 90,000 85,000 23,302,000 23,363,000 EXPENSES National Office Salaries, On-costs and Leave 4,747,000 4,703,000 -44,000 Operating 1,053,000 1,084,000 31,000 Discretionary 1,495,000 1,129,000 -366,000 7,295,000 6,916,000 Branches and Divisions Salaries, On-costs and Leave 12,430,000 12,547,000 117,000 Operating 1,573,000 1,634,000 61,000 Discretionary 832,000 522,000 -310,000 14,835,000 14,703,000

Defence Fund – 6% 1,398,000 1,396,000 -2,000 Summary of 2019-20 Income and Expenditure – Actual vs Budget SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) -226,000 348,000 574,000

33 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Budget & Finance ACT Division

www.nteu.org.au/act The ACT Division represents more Enterprise Bargaining and Industrial Enforcement Division Officers than 1,100 members at four ACT public universities: Australian Our main site of industrial disputation has ACT Division Secretary: Rachael Bahl (to been the University of Canberra, as we dealt Jan 2020), Cathy Day (from Jan 2020) National University (ANU) including with matters outstanding from the 2018-9 Assistant Secretary: Cathy Day (to Sept ANU College (ANUC); University round of Enterprise Bargaining. The NTEU 2020) of Canberra (UC), including UC secured a commitment from the University Division President: Marie Fisher (to Feb of Canberra to hold an independent review 20), Matthew King (to Aug 2020) College (UCC); Australian Catholic into the controversial Assistant Professor Division Vice-Presidents: Dr Belinda University (Signadou Campus, Scheme. Townsend (Academic), Matthew King ACU); and UNSW Canberra at the We moved to a dispute after the University (General) (to Feb 20) Australian Defence Force Academy withheld the findings of the ‘Independent Division Staff (ADFA). Review into the Contingent-Continuing Division Industrial Officer: Program’, securing its release. We also David Vincent-Pietsch Recruitment & Membership Training initiated a dispute which ultimately led to a and Development Division Organisers: Dr Lachlan Clohesy, widening of the number of members eligible Dr Simon Dougherty The NTEU ACT Division has undergone big to opt-out of the Assistant Professor Scheme. changes during the last year, with Dr Cathy During the last year we also concluded Day becoming Division Secretary in January Enterprise Bargaining with the ANU Student 2020 (having acted in the role since mid- Associations (including the Australian

2019). During that period, our membership National University Students’ Association has surged by 9.7% across the Division. (ANUSA), the Postgraduate and Research This has been driven primarily by a 13.6% Students’ Association (PARSA), and Woroni increase at ANU, where we have prioritised (ANU student newspaper)). creating strong Delegate structures. We have Our bargaining team, led by members also had a modest increase in membership at Kate Buscombe (PARSA) and Sam Guthrie the University of Canberra during the same (ANUSA), managed to secure an Agreement period. which maintained and extended a number of Though growth was apparent prior to the conditions. Most notable were a number of pandemic, the ACT Division also experienced gains on equity issues, including the explicit strong growth in line with the broader NTEU recognition of Aboriginal & Torres Strait from March this year. We expect membership Islander staff for the first time (including numbers to fall as a result of voluntary commitments on A&TSI employment and separations and redundancies in response recognition of cultural and ceremonial leave). to COVID-19. Nevertheless, we are in a much In addition, we’re also bargaining at ANU Image (this page): ANU members braved the early stronger position to face future challenges College, have had an Enterprise Agreement morning Canberra cold to get out the vote as part of than previously. a Vote No campaign against a non-union Agreement variation at the ANU, and have engaged (Lachlan Clohesy). with various managing change processes 34 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ ACT Division including the School of Legal Practice at cuts and wage theft, while tending to local industrial support to resolve member cases ANU, UC College, and the ANU Postgraduate issues related to workloads, support for often related to workloads and WHS. and Research Students’ Association online and remote delivery, and related WHS Fund Uni Fairly Action at Parliament (PARSA). concerns. The NTEU ACT Division sent a delegation Campaigning and Public Advocacy Campaigns to Parliament to protest the Federal Campaign Infrastructure – ANU Delegates Paid Parental Leave at ANU Government’s changes to higher education funding. Members recorded a video with a The greatest success in campaigning terms Our ANU Women’s Action Network (WAN) message aimed at Senate crossbenchers, has not been any single campaign, but the continued their campaign, which began on calling on them to block the bill and to fund establishment of campaign infrastructure. International Women’s Day in March 2019, uni fairly as part of the NTEU’s national At the ANU we have developed a process for for improved Paid Parental Leave (PPL) at campaign. nominating and endorsing Delegates as part the ANU. The WAN has been campaigning to of a formal Delegate structure. extend PPL to staff in their first 12 months of We have welcomed new officeholders employment, and casually employed staff. at Branches across the ACT Division, as At the time of writing we have 22 endorsed members have sought to get involved in Delegates across the university – a number Their most high profile action was the democratic processes of their union. which we aim to increase before Enterprise in November 2019. Following ANU’s The skills, knowledge and experience of the Bargaining next year. This is all the more achievement of Bronze Accreditation in the people who have come on board as Branch remarkable considering that we had no SAGE Athena SWAN program which promotes Committee members and Delegates (in formal Delegates prior to beginning this women in STEM, the WAN staged a campaign addition to those who have served for some process in mid-2019. action with ‘Athena the Swan’ visiting Kambri time) contribute to our strong position to (ANU’s central precinct). The WAN intends to UC Cases & Campaigns Committee build upon the foundations we’ve established push for greater PPL entitlements through to in the previous year. ◆ In order to broaden organising activity Enterprise Bargaining next year. and lay groundwork for the training and development of future delegates, a Cases & Vote NO at ANU Campaigns Committee was established at NTEU members mobilised against the ANU UC. Members democratically decided to focus Executive’s non-union variation to the ANU Images (this page): Dinith Adikari (ANU) #SaveHigherEd on two campaign areas which seek to address Enterprise Agreement in June 2020. Facing a National Day of Action selfie, 21 May 2020; ‘Athena crises that have acutely affected the sector in popular Vice-Chancellor, our members were the Swan’ visited Kambri at ANU as part of the NTEU Women’s Action Network’s campaign for improved paid Canberra. heavily engaged in a campaign involving parental leave. 19 local area meetings in three days and After a summer of smoke, fire, and hail, hundreds contacted through phone banking. a Climate Justice Sub-Committee was Members also braved the early morning established to strengthen community Canberra cold to hold signs as staff came to partnerships and influence UC’s strategic work on the first and last days of voting. direction to include goals of fossil fuel divestment and a carbon neutral campus. Ultimately the campaign for the ‘No’ vote Work intensification since the COVID-19 failed by just 39 votes (out of almost 7000 crisis has seen the establishment of a eligible voters). Nevertheless, we were able Workloads Sub-Committee where members to use the campaign to build longer term have been revising and enforcing workload power and shock a management team who guidelines, protecting leave entitlements, expected an easy victory without substantial and successfully pressuring Deans to train opposition. The close result was a product managers in fair workload allocation. of the growing strength of the ANU Branch, and particularly the role of our Delegates UNSW Canberra at ADFA network. The Sub-Branch Committee has been organised in a more structured way to ACU Signadou Campus encourage member-participation in Members have contributed to the central organising activities run remotely from the campaign against ACU’s so-called “COVID-19 Kensington campus, and locally at ADFA. Recovery Plan” in order to protect jobs and pay from being used to prop up ACU’s This has enabled members to show solidarity surplus. Local NTEU staff continue providing with colleagues in Sydney combatting job 35 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ ACT Division NSW Division

www.nteu.org.au/nsw The NSW Division represents introduced. University managements have almost 9,000 members at 11 taken no responsibility for their system and Division Officers financial planning. They have attempted to NSW Division Secretary: NSW public universities: Charles shift the blame to university staff. Michael Thomson Sturt University (CSU), Macquarie At SCU we beat a non-union variation. Thanks Division Asst Secretary: Damien Cahill University, Southern Cross to the work of SCU activists and NTEU staff. Division President: Nikola Balnave University (SCU), University of New All Branches have had growth in membership Division Vice-Presidents: Terri Mylett England (UNE), University of NSW and across the Division we now sit around (Academic), Kate Mitchell (General) (UNSW), University of Newcastle, 9,000 members – up 1,000 in twelve months. Division Staff University of Sydney, University The NSW police are using the pandemic to Industrial Coordinator: Joshua Gava of Wollongong, University of ban public protest and demonstrations. We Senior Industrial Officer: Jeane Wells Technology, Sydney (UTS), Western called a protest and applied for permission. Senior State Organiser: Kiraz Janicke We submitted a COVID-19 safe plan as part Sydney University (WSU), and two Division Industrial Officers: Lance of our application. The police refused our Dale (to Mar 2020), Kobie Howe, Simon Australian Catholic University (ACU) request and took us to the Supreme Court to Kempton, Bradley Beasley, Samantha campuses. ban the rally. In a big win the court approved Ramsay (from May 2020) the rally and the protest went ahead. It was The NSW Division has had a busy year. important in that it set a precedent and will Comms & Campaigns Organiser: allow other rallies to go ahead. N Clark (to Jan 2020), Richard Bailey (from Like others we have had to adapt to a Feb 2020) COVID-19 world. This has meant working Branches have begun preparing for the next Branch Organisers: Josh Andrews, from home for NTEU staff and most round of bargaining. Campaign plans are Kaylene Ayers, Richard Bailey (to Feb NTEU members. A new way of working being drawn up. ◆ 2020), Sharon Bailey, Martin Cubby, and organising. It has meant big member Stevie Howson (from July 2020), Rhianna meetings by teams. It has also changed the Keen, Amity Lynch, David Mallard, Sean way we relate to management proposals. Mountford (from Oct 2019), Sean O’Brien, Overall, we have adapted well. Kevin Poynter, Lisa Roberts, Sheryl Vine (from Feb 2020), Jenny Whittard The Division has been fighting for jobs at all Executive Officers: Branches. The business model that university Kerrie Barathy, Sharon Muddle management relies on – fees from overseas students – has taken a big hit. It shows the fragility of a higher education system based on student fees. One that all university management welcomed and allowed to be

Image (this page): Michael Thomson, Damien Cahill, Kurt Iveson (USYD), Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Mark Morey (Unions NSW Secretary) protesting against jobs cuts and also for the right to protest, October 2020 (Richard Bailey). 36 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ NSW Division Images (this page):Social media graphic for the NTEU Car Convoy, a socially distanced part of the National Day of Action, May 2020; USyd Casuals Network at the rally against jobs cuts and for the right to protest, October 2020 (Richard Bailey); Compilation of selfies from NSW Division members from the National Day of Action, May 2020.

37 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ NSW Division NT Division

www.nteu.org.au/nt The Northern Territory Division Membership Despite the turbulence, in the past 12 Division Officers represents 423 members at Charles Darwin University, Batchelor months the NT Division has utilised every NT Division Secretary: Rajeev Sharma opportunity to engage new and prospective Division President: Darius Pfitzner Institute and research institutes. members over the issues currently facing Division Vice-Presidents: Alan Berman In the last year, NT Division has witnessed CDU, Batchelor Institute and Flinders Medical (Academic) and Sylvia Klonaris (General) changes at many fronts. Our Division Centre and the university sector in general. Council was revamped by co-opting new Division Staff A high Union presence on campus, regular executives including Dr Alan Berman, Hemali Division Industrial Officer: Heinz Schmitt communication with our members, a Seneviratne and Amanda Brain. Susan successful National Day of Action and Division Organiser: Susan Bandias Bandias also joined as an Organiser. Bluestocking Week cemented the valuable COVID-19 role of NTEU in the Northern Territory. Things changed drastically with COVID-19 As at 8 October 2020 there were 423 induced restrictions in the Northern Territory. members in the NT. This is slightly short We engaged with Charles Darwin University of our all-time high of 435 members in (CDU) management to address staff concerns November 2019. Constant restructuring and including working from home options. numerous rounds of redundancies initially Compared to other jurisdictions, we have eroded our membership total. However, the been lucky in the NT as most restrictions Division continues to recruit new members were lifted much earlier with the spread and our numbers are currently trending of the virus brought under control in a upwards. reasonable period. Batchelor Institute We have been proactive in engaging with Some of the key developments to mention for CDU management to deal with a COVID-19 Batchelor Institute include: a large number induced restructure and its impact on staff of redundancies last year, the beginning of numbers. After many rounds of deliberations, EBA negotiations this year and changes in CDU decided not to opt for the Jobs management (a number of serial temporary Protection Framework, conceding that the appointments and management staff leaving) adverse financial impact on CDU was not as which meant that Batchelor remained in severe as initially anticipated. limbo with no concerted effort to recruit While we have successfully managed the students leading to a dramatic drop in COVID-19 crisis, a much wider restructure student numbers. was initiated last year resulting in the loss WAC of many positions. We are currently dealing with the second phase of restructure that Sylvia Klonaris attended International Image (this page): NT Division Bluestocking Week predominantly involves staff and positions in Women’s Day event ‘Hurdles’ to promote event, Sept 2020. L–R: Susan Bandias, Heidi McDonald, Debra Dank, Janine Oldfield, Sylvia Klonaris (Amanda the VET sector. union activism. Brain). 38 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ NT Division Similarly, an NT Division Bluestocking Event was organised in September 2020. The event highlighted the impact of mental health and wellbeing issues recognising the effects on women who are left to work full time, care for their children and work from home with the normal responsibilities including dealing with partners who were also impacted by COVID-19. The Division Council along with Division staff have worked diligently for members’ rights and we are mindful of the challenges ahead. For example, CDU will soon have a new management team with current the VC and Provost leaving shortly and dealing with a new Education Minister in NT following the recent elections. In closing I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all NT Division Council members and staff including Darius Pfitzner, Sylvia Klonaris, Sue Bandias and Heinz ◆ Images (this page): Amanda Brain (CDU) Schmitt. #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May 2020; Darius Pfitzner and Rajeev Sharma; NT members at a rally.

39 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ NT Division Queensland Division

www.nteu.org.au/qld The Queensland Division represents COVID-19 The impact of the global pandemic has been Division Officers more than 4,100 members at the seven Queensland public terrible on the Division’s members and staff. Qld Division Secretary: Michael McNally Key challenges for the Division have been: Division Asst Secretary: Brad Astbury (to universities. The Division also has Feb 2020) members at the Brisbane (Banyo) • Initial uncertainty of members in their workplaces about health and safety due to Division President: Andrea Lamont-Mills Campus of the Australian Catholic the possibility of coronavirus infections on Division Vice-Presidents: Leonie University, Bond University, and campus. Barnett (Academic) (to Aug 2020), Garry McSweeney (General) various higher education private • Massive workload increases with the providers across the state. transition of student services and teaching Division Staff and learning to on-line delivery in very Division Industrial Officers: Noeline Pre-COVID-19 short time frames. Rudland, Rohan Hilton, Rob Rule, Kyla It’s hard to believe that there was a • The loss of insecure employment and its Johnstone, Alex Cousner time before COVID-19. The second impact on casual and fixed-term staff and Senior State Organiser: Michael Oliver half of 2019 was very positive for the members. Division Aboriginal and Torres Strait Queensland Division. Our priorities of • Large scale redundancies and severances Islander Organiser: Phil Mairu (to Feb Agreement implementation through that have decimated many work places. 2020) collective campaigns, member training Division Training & Recruitment and development and an improved • The complete abandonment of the sector Organiser: David Szumer communications strategy were bearing fruit. by the Federal Government. Branch Industrial Organisers: Peter Membership continued to grow, so much so On the other hand, there have been many Whalley-Thompson, Angela Scheers that we avoided the usual dip in membership positives: that occurs each year in February/March. Branch Organisers: Erin Campbell, Kate • The ability to connect to large numbers of Warner, Stewart de Lacy-Leacey, Patsy The final Agreement in Round 7 Enterprise members (and non-members) via Zoom. O’Brien, Melissa Webster. Bargaining was achieved at the University of the Sunshine Coast in September. Industrial • Member engagement in collective action taken by members was key to the campaigns around Health and Safety, improvements gained in the Agreement. Workloads, Insecure Work, University Funding and Right to Information. One of the key development strategies that we planned for 2020 was to use the ‘EB- • Demonstrations of solidarity by members free’ year to build our organising capacity showing a willingness to sacrifice their through our elected leaders. The first stage of pay and leave entitlements to save the this was a planned workshop with all of the livelihoods of colleagues. Branch Committee members from across the The staff of the NTEU Queensland Division Image (this page): Griffith Branch Vote No zoom party, September 2020. state in Brisbane in early April. This was the have done a fabulous job during this time first thing that we cancelled as a Division due with Division Council passing the following Images (opposite page): Adam Stodden (GU) #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May to COVID-19. motion in July: 2020; Ramsay Centre protests at UQ. 40 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Queensland Division This meeting of Queensland Division Council oversight. We campaigned against both those and the implications for academic freedom notes the amazing efforts of the staff of the variations. Griffith are not able to proceed in our universities. The initial decision Division. All staff have done an amazing job after academic staff rejected the Variation that Ridd’s employment was unlawfully with huge workloads and transferring to to the academic Agreement. Unfortunately, terminated and then the award of nearly working from home. As a Division, we have we narrowly lost the Vote No campaign at $1.2 million in damages/compensation have been able to maintain the exceptionally high James Cook 51% to 49% and management unfortunately been overturned on appeal to levels of industrial support we provide to are proceeding with the Variation there the full Federal Court. members while increasing our campaigning (after having to give various undertakings to Members at UQ and across the Division around many issues critical to the the Commission to remedy their ‘inelegant campaigned strongly against the creation of membership. Our staff have worked brilliantly drafting’). a Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation. in extraordinary circumstances and the At CQU, where management decided to cut UQ management proceeded despite the Division Council thanks them for their efforts. staff rather than negotiate a Variation, we objections of the majority of staff and the Job losses, Job Protection Framework, have seen 200 staff depart with voluntary Faculty Board of HASS that rejected the voluntary redundancies & variations redundancies and another 100 made forcibly proposal. The Branch has continued to redundant. That equates to roughly 15% of pursue the matter and is currently awaiting It is impossible to reflect on the 2019-2020 the continuing workforce at CQU and does an external review of UQ management’s year without looking at the efforts of the not include all the insecure workers who have decision not to release the Philanthropic NTEU to secure improved job security for simply lost work. The impact of these losses Agreement with Ramsay in response to our members through a nationally-negotiated, will be far-reaching and ongoing not just Right to Information application. nationally-agreed Job Protection Framework. for the remaining staff at CQU but also the Facing the reality of tens of thousands of job regional towns that the university serves. Membership growth & development losses in the sector, the national leadership As reported above, membership continued of the Union sought to negotiate a framework Managements at the Universities of to grow steadily over the second half of 2019 of Enterprise Agreement Variations to Queensland, Southern Queensland and into early 2020. The figure as at 30 June 2019 prevent stand downs and limit redundancies the Sunshine Coast have all indicated was 3,680 and had grown to nearly 3,800 by and create rights for insecure workers which that they will not be pursuing variations February. There was a massive increase in they had previously never enjoyed. to their Agreements. However, they like membership as the impact of the pandemic all Queensland universities are going In return, university management became clear with an almost 10% increase through rounds of voluntary resignations/ representatives sought concessions around in membership in three months meaning retirements/redundancies/severances. The pay and leave. In the end, just as agreement we finished the year with an all-time high fallout for the membership as a whole is yet was being reached on a framework, the membership of 4,150. to be felt, but has already been felt at the coalition of Vice-Chancellors splintered and CQU Branch. Pleasingly, despite significant membership the national framework fizzled. loss at CQU where 15% of the workforce were Campaigns & lobbying Subsequently, in Queensland we have made redundant voluntarily or forcibly, the negotiated Variations at QUT. The Variations During the second half of 2019 the Division Division is holding steady. provide for no forced redundancies before was campaigning on a number of fronts. The Division will continue to stand strong in July 2021, the creation of 40 fixed-term At the political level, we campaigned hard the face of continuing uncertainty. Building retraining positions to allow staff at risk of and successfully to defeat the ‘Ensuring upon a strong foundation of solidarity, the redundancy to change careers and stay at Integrity Bill’ with the support of Queensland Division is well positioned to continue the QUT, and the retention of some fixed-term crossbench Senators. fight for members’ rights and for a better and casual work for insecure workers. In The Division was actively engaged with the sector for all. ◆ exchange, staff will forego the 2% pay rise student strikes for climate campaign with due in December for 12 months, forego their many members and Division staff attending annual leave loading in 2021 and will have rallies in Brisbane. Members set up an NTEU a 4-day closedown between Christmas and Climate Change Action Network with a goal New Year. More than 90% of the QUT staff of lobbying our institutions to divest from who participated voted in favour of the fossil fuels and support other climate change Variations. actions. The Queensland Division building Management tried negotiating Variations also went solar. at both Griffith and James Cook, but were The Division sought to raise awareness unable to come up with the commitments amongst university staff of the Ridd decision we required for job security and/or external

41 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Queensland Division SA Division

www.nteu.org.au/sa The South Australian Division assistance of national officers. In 2019 and represents over 1,950 members at for the early months of 2020 these were held Division Officers face-to-face including an all-day Cultural SA Division Secretary: Ron Slee three public universities: University Competency Education session conducted Division Asst Secretary: Nick Warner of Adelaide, University of South by Adam Frogley with Uncle Lewis O’Brien providing valuable local knowledge and Division President: Peter Cardwell Australia and Flinders University. inspiration. Division Vice-Presidents: Virginie Recruitment & Membership, Training Katerin Berniz, Flinders Branch Secretary and Masson (Academic), Katerin Berniz and Development (General) National Councillor, was supported to attend Over the last 12 months, membership a 4-day Advanced Training Intensive for union Division Staff increased by 3%. delegates at SA Unions. SA Unions held its Division Industrial Officers: annual Organising Conference in November Annie Buchecker, Kathy Harrington Adelaide Branch increased membership by 5.5%, UniSA by 3.9%, Flinders by 1.4%. At 2019 – we attended along with 100 other Division Industrial Organiser: Flinders, we lost many long-term members officials. Three QUTE caucus members Cheryl Baldwin including seven Branch Committee officers, (Suzanne Edwards, Liz McNeill and Peter Division Organisers: Juliet Fuller, as a university-wide restructure impacted on Cardwell) attended NTEU National QUTE Rebecca Galdies hundreds of academic and professional staff. Conference in Melbourne this year. Administration Officer: Donna Good Across all Branches, we monitored all In March, the two Division Organisers (Juliet resignations and while most who left the Fuller and Rebecca Galdies) and the Division Union had retired or left the sector we Secretary attended a training session minimised attrition by contacting every conducted by Kristy Jones from the ACTU member whose membership lapsed because Behavioural Insights Unit. This turned out to their fee payments had fallen behind. be the last face-to-face training conducted by ACTU in SA this year. Recruitment and retention plans are in place to rebuild membership density at each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Division Branch. Forums in SA were held on-line this year as was the National Forum and this enabled all Adelaide Branch has an active Campaign invited members to participate. Committee, tasked with planning campaigns to recruit new members from amongst Division Industrial Organiser, Cheryl Baldwin, staff who feel apprehensive about their led the coordination of 2 series of training future employment especially in light of the sessions for Branch committee members financial hit to international student revenue and delegates. The first in May covered caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ‘becoming a delegate’, COVID-19 and the Federal Government’s legislation to further workplace, mental health at work, and the cut public funding to universities. Fair Work Act and policy interpretation. The second in July dealt with ‘neoliberalism Image (this page): Mobile billboard created to convince We conducted a series of training sessions and universities’, having a recruitment Centre Alliance to #BlocktheBill, parked outside the for delegates and Branch officers with the conversation, campaigning collectively, and University of South Australia, October 2020. 42 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ SA Division how to organise ourselves and our members. Of course, this campaign had its origins in We are members of Labour History SA and These sessions were attended by delegates our attempts to save jobs in universities hit participated in their monthly events and from all Branches and facilitated by National harshly by the COVID-19 pandemic. We gave annual conference. We plan to hold our Office staff Helena Spyrou, Linda Gale, Terri top priority to the Jobs Protection Framework annual Bluestocking Dinner as a live event MacDonald and Kieran McCarron as well as (JOF) campaign and to pressuring the Federal later this year, celebrating historic struggles local activists including Victoria Fielding and Government to provide a financial rescue and achievements of women in higher Kent Getsinger. Adelaide Branch Committee package for universities. In SA, the University education, canvassing current challenges member, Jess Jacobson, devoted hours, of Adelaide agreed to a temporary Enterprise and raising funds for Catherine House, energy and good humour to ensure these Agreement variation in accordance with the which provides accommodation for women sessions were a success. Cheryl continued JPF but the other two public universities experiencing homelessness. ◆ to provide new Branch committee member declined. training at Adelaide. We also urged the State Government to Following Fair Work Commission approval provide financial support to universities. of the Enterprise Agreement Variation at the NTEU was one of a group of unions that University of Adelaide, NTEU members of the met weekly with the SA Economic Recovery COVID-19 Temporary Measures Committee Reference Group to push proposals to save (Nick Warner, Virginie Masson and Cheryl jobs in SA, including a range of measures Baldwin) received Job Protection Framework designed to rebuild higher education. training organised and conducted by Helena In addition to national campaigns, our Spyrou, Ken McAlpine and Kelly Thomas. Branches conducted local campaigns around In June, three Branch Delegates and our two workloads, student evaluation surveys, Division Organisers, Juliet Fuller and Rebecca restructures, health and safety issues for Galdies, participated in training conducted by staff working from home and on campus, the Centre for Australian Progress. academic role statements, on-line teaching as well as breaches of their Enterprise In March, Donna Good enrolled in a 5-day Agreement. Following an ICAC investigation Health and Safety Representative training and the subsequent resignation of Peter program run by SA Unions. Images (this page): Nicholas Glover (UniSA) Rathjen as Vice Chancellor, the Adelaide #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May Many of our delegates, members and staff Branch campaigned around governance and 2020; Flinders Branch Heart of the University, Dec 2019; attended training and briefing sessions related issues canvassed in the ICAC report. ‘We are the University’ recruitment poster. conducted this year by National Office staff All of the national campaigns and some of the from Industrial & Legal, Policy & Research, local campaigns provided opportunities for and Campaign & Organising Teams. Not only the NTEU to lift its public advocacy profile on were these sessions very informative but important political, social and environmental being on-line enabled greater attendance issues. Some of our participation was limited than would normally be possible. to virtual engagement. Public Advocacy and Campaigns Events Much of our focus was directly linked to SA Division is affiliated with the May Day national campaigns. We worked to defeat the Collective and this year May Day celebrations Ensuring Integrity Bill, which was successful were conducted by zoom; our QUTE although in SA we were unable to persuade caucus met to commemorate International Centre Alliance Senators to oppose it. We Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and joined the campaign to expose and redress Transphobia on 17 May albeit not in the same wage theft in higher education and the ‘Stand room as they had at the Qute Queeries quiz with Gerd’ campaign. night in previous years. We fought the Fund Uni Fairly campaign However, not everything was restricted which, in the short term, failed to block the by COVID-19. We celebrated International Job-Ready Graduates Bill (in SA our attempts Women’s Day, marched with 10,000 others to persuade Senator Griff failed although in Adelaide at a climate strike rally and Senator Patrick voted against the Bill). spoke at NUS and SA Union protest events.

43 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ SA Division Tasmanian Division

www.nteu.org.au/tas The Tasmanian Division represents very rapid pace, and the proposed Variation over 750 members at the University was approved by National Executive, and by Division Officers members at UTAS. The Variation entered into Tas Division Secretary: Kelvin Michael of Tasmania (UTAS). force in July 2020. Division President: Darren Turner Like every other Division, the last year has Since that time, weekly meetings of the Division Vice-Presidents: Natalia been dominated by the impact of COVID-19 COVID-19 Temporary Measures Committee Nikolova (Academic), Rob Anders on international student arrivals. Our (CTMC) have been convened to provide (General) members at UTAS have been bent, but not oversight of the Variation. The greatest broken, by the demands of rapid shifts to Division Staff impact thus far has been the removal of a online delivery and working from home, while 2% pay rise scheduled for July 2020 and a Division Industrial Officer: Emma Gill at the same time coping with changes to both round of voluntary redundancies which will Division Organiser: Shannon Harwood academic and professional structures. see an expected 150 staff depart from the (to July 2020) The industrial focus remained on university’s employment before the end of Branch Organiser: Janine Bryan (from implementation of the UTAS Staff Agreement, 2020. Feb 2020) culminating in the negotiation of a variation On a different note, bargaining for the TUU to the Staff Agreement. Staff Agreement, which affects a small The organising activities were centred around number of members employed by the member training and delegate recruitment. Tasmanian University Union, was concluded after an extremely drawn-out process. The In February 2020, Matt McGowan visited the finalisation of the Agreement overlapped Tasmanian Division and partook in the annual with change management applied by TUU Division Council planning process. He spoke management, in response to reduced funding to the Division Council about the National from UTAS to the TUU. leadership’s plans for the direction of the Union. Later in the same month, Division Academic workload remains a perennial staff met over 2 days to draw up the 2020 source of discontent at UTAS. The Tasmanian work plan based on the priorities expressed Division continues to promote the creation by the Division Council. and revision of academic workload models across all colleges of UTAS, however the Division leadership continued to hold overall sentiment among our academic some meetings with various levels of UTAS members is discontentment – which can be management to discuss global or localised traced to dissatisfaction with an existing issues. model and/or frustration re lack of progress Bargaining & Enforcement towards a new model and/or lack of confidence in the application of any model by In June 2020, UTAS management approached line management. the Tasmanian Division seeking a possible variation of the UTAS Staff Agreement to In this vein, the Tasmanian Division was manage the financial challenges posed by successful in re-convening the Academic Image (this page): UTAS members at a Fund Uni Fairly Workload Consultative Committee, which is Zoom meeting, 24 Sept 2020. COVID-19. Negotiations were conducted at a 44 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Tasmanian Division established under the UTAS Staff Agreement meeting with Senator Lambie – the meeting to guide the development of workload took place one day after she had declared models and documentation. her opposition to the Bill (hooray) and also involved Michele Dowlman (NTEU member) Organising as well as a student activist (Miranda Membership growth within the Division Bennett) and a parent and teacher from the has been strong ~ 6.5% for the year, mostly Tasmanian community (Simone McManus). delivered in the second quarter of 2020 As the sad reality of the Bill’s future became – with similar growth patterns for both apparent, members of the Tasmanian Division academic and professional members. also turned their campaigning energy upon The Division is bracing for increased politicians from the South Australian Centre membership losses associated with voluntary Alliance whose support in the end allowed it redundancies as well as other structural to pass – a pox be on their houses! changes in the wind at UTAS. Media In October 2019, the Division ran a series of Various sections of the media have been member training workshops on academic keenly interested in the goings-on at UTAS workloads under the Staff Agreement. over the last 12 months. These sessions were very useful in terms of explaining the way that the treatment of The impacts of COVID-19 on the finances of academic workloads had changed since the the University made headlines, as did the previous Staff Agreement, and seeking to idea of a negotiated variation to the Staff empower members to work collegially to the Agreement to address some of the financial greatest degree possible to achieve positive stressors. UTAS management have persisted outcomes. with the moves of campus infrastructure into the centres of Burnie and Launceston, but Staff of the Division attended the Unions deferred similar moves into the Hobart CBD Tasmania-sponsored Organising for Growth due to the current economic situation. Conference in March 2020 to learn about effective organising strategies and initiatives. The media have also been enthralled with Fortuitously, there was a focus on online our previous Vice-Chancellor, Peter Rathjen, organising, which quickly became highly following his fall from grace at the University relevant as the country entered different of Adelaide and the subsequent revelations Images (this page): Fiona McCarthy (UTAS) stages of lockdown in the ensuing months. of patterns of sexual harassment, including #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfies, 21 May proven allegations from many years earlier 2020; UTAS members displaying the Union’s Fund Uni Campaigning and prior to his arrival at UTAS. Fairly petition, Sept 2020; Social media graphic thanking Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie for voting against the The Jobs-Ready Graduate Bill brought by Dan As the current UTAS Vice-Chancellor seeks to Job-Ready Graduates Bill. Tehan and the Liberal/National Government distance himself and other senior staff from placed the focus on the crossbench senators. the shade of Rathjen, it must be said that his From August to October 2020, the Tasmanian legacy remains, and will continue to affect Division encouraged members and the the operations at the University of Tasmania broader community to contact Senator Jacqui for many years unless there is a dramatic Lambie (Tas) and ask her to block the Bill. change in outlook, attitude and direction – Members participated in a zoom meeting which seems very unlikely in today’s world of with ALP politicians Tanya Plibersek and corporate higher education. Senator Louise Pratt, holding large print versions of a national petition with over Leadership Renewal 16,000 signatures. After 6 years in the role of Division Secretary, Members also turned out for a snap action Kelvin Michael will step down prior to 2020 via zoom meeting which encouraged social National Council. During the last year, media contacts with Senator Lambie’s office. Division Council has been considering the The leadership of the NTEU at both national succession process and will make interim and state level were successful in holding a arrangements until elections are run. ◆

45 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Tasmanian Division Victorian Division

www.nteu.org.au/vic The Victorian Division represents However, there was discomfort with over 10,600 members at nine public appointing staff on insecure contracts. This Division Officers approach has therefore been abandoned. Victorian Division Secretary: Mel Slee universities: Deakin University, Federation University Australia The Division has also invested considerable Division Asst Secretary: Sarah Roberts resources in formal training and development Division President: Mark Shier (FUA), La Trobe University, for our organising team through the Division Vice-Presidents: Christian University of Melbourne, Monash Australian Trade Union Institute. Haesemeyer (Academic), Cathy Rojas University, RMIT University, In turn, the Organising team has conducted (General) Swinburne University, Victoria regular training sessions for delegates and Division Staff University (VU) and two campuses members in organising, recruitment and Senior Industrial Officer: Linda Gale campaigning. With the advent of COVID-19, of Australian Catholic University these sessions were successfully moved Division Industrial Officers: Joe online. The Division has also hosted online Nunweek, Rob Binnie, Clare Danaher, (ACU) and many TAFE sites and Margaret Maloney, Serena O’Meley, Corey smaller education providers, such talks and seminars of general interest to the membership. Rabaut, Rhidian Thomas as William Angliss and Navitas. Division Industrial Organisers: Janet COVID-19 Bourke, Jesse Page, Linda Cargill, Lisbeth It is safe to say 2020 has been challenging, Latham, Colin Muir, Garry Ryan particularly in the Victorian Division where The advent of the pandemic and its the state has been in prolonged lockdown. devastating impacts on student enrolment Senior State Organiser: Chloe Gaul Nonetheless, the Victorian Division has and in turn university finances put the Division Organisers: Aimee Hulbert, continued its focus on organising – remotely Division under considerable pressure as Simon Linskill, David Willis, Rifai Abdul, as required! The Division is dedicated to we campaigned for a government support Frank Gafa, Roberta Stewart, Amelia Sully building our organising capacity through package and against redundancies and (on parental leave), Cal Parsons (parental grassroots campaigns, identifying and aggressive management cost-cutting leave appointment), Ben Kunkler, Trevor measures. Miller training new delegates and membership growth. Campaigns & Communications Officer: Campaigning for a government rescue Toby Cotton Recruitment & Membership, Training package Admin Officer/Executive Support: and Development Despite being in lockdown, Victorian Division Adrienne Bradley The Division has resourced its strategy of worked closely with the National Office to building organising capacity by increasing its deliver a number of very successful National organising team. Following a major change Days of Action to demand the Scott Morrison process, one outgoing Industrial Officer was Government extend JobKeeper to the replaced with an Organiser. university sector and fill the more than $4.5 billion shortfall. The Division also experimented with appointing Member Organisers and The campaign included social distancing pickets of Dan Tehan and Josh Frydenberg’s Image (this page): Deakin staff led by Branch President successfully appointed one of those Member Kerrie Saville protesting in response to the University’s Organisers to an ongoing Organiser role. offices, mass online meetings and a social decision to cut jobs (Alison Wynd). 46 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Victorian Division media campaign which saw the NTEU’s were no involuntary redundancies. Monash minutes to mark assessments. RMIT has also hashtag of SaveHigherEdJobs trend second in Branch continues to grow. had some success in prosecuting unfair pay Victoria (after COVID-19, of course). for casuals. La Trobe The failure of the Federal Government to Coming out of this crisis, the Victorian The NTEU secured a Jobs Protections defend the sector saw the NTEU focus on the Division will continue to fight for a Framework at La Trobe. However, La Trobe Branches to prevent senior managements university system built on reliable University continues to struggle financially from forcing staff to bear the brunt of the government funding and fair, secure jobs. and recently announced 400 redundancies. funding shortfall. The struggle continues! ◆ Mass redundancies Melbourne Uni Managements at Deakin and RMIT were The University of Melbourne Branch the most aggressive in pursuing mass successfully mobilised members to defeat a redundancies in response to the pandemic. non-union ballot. 64% of all staff voted “NO” Deakin university was the first to pursue to reject management’s proposal to vary 400 forced redundancies with no option for their Enterprise Agreement. The proposal voluntary redundancies. It was accompanied would have seen a pay cut of 2.2% without by a major restructure of the campus. any enforceable guarantees on job security. Management withdrew from national NTEU successfully prosecuted Deakin negotiations with the NTEU to pursue a management in the Fair Work Commission variation that would avoid scrutiny and for their failure to appropriately consult with financial transparency. the NTEU and staff. Unfortunately, improved consultation did not abate management’s During an online meeting with the biggest plans. turnout in a generation, NTEU members voted 97% to launch the Vote No campaign. Meanwhile, RMIT lost 355 staff in voluntary

In a huge mobilisation effort over the course redundancies and then 345 in forced Images (this page): Retired member Patrick Hutchings of two weeks, members, delegates and NTEU redundancies. A mix of voluntary and #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May staff spoke to over 2000 people in open involuntary redundancies are planned for 2020; UniMelb casuals rally on campus demanding to be paid isolation sickleave so that they would not be meetings across all faculties. 190 jobs to go at VU. A voluntary round forced to choose to go to work and spread #COVID-19, of redundancies is currently underway at March 2020 (Toby Cotton); NTEU Victoria’s COVID-19 Volunteers from the membership and NTEU Swinburne. Countless casuals and fixed term scorecard from 17 March 2020. staff with support from staff in the ACTU contract staff on all campuses did not have chipped in to make thousands of calls to their contracts renewed. bring out the vote. COVID-safe workplaces Monash Although staff and students have not Monash NTEU Branch successfully secured returned to the campuses in Victoria, the a Jobs Protection Framework in line with the NTEU has taken action to train our staff NTEU’s national COVID-19 strategy. 83.6% of and in turn to train HSRs and delegates NTEU members at Monash voted in favour of throughout the State via Victorian Trades the framework and 89.3% of all Monash staff Hall Council and the ACTU’s Australian Trade subsequently endorsed the approach. Up to Union Institute. OH&S will continue to be an 140 staff joined the NTEU in the fortnight important focus for the Division. leading up to the NTEU ballot. Using the framework, the NTEU was able Justice for casuals: Wage theft to save fixed term and casual jobs and campaign campaigned to secure up to one day per week The NTEU ensured that Melbourne Uni made of paid carer’s leave for home-schooling headlines with its scandalous wage theft with parents (ACU and La Trobe secured similar around 1500 academic casuals owed millions outcomes for carers). of dollars in backpay. Casual academics were being paid around a half and a third of what The Monash NTEU Branch met workplace they should have been paid including a piece by workplace to ensure a fair and reasonable rate system that saw casuals paid just three approach to voluntary redundancies. There

47 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Victorian Division WA Division

www.nteu.org.au/wa The Western Australia Division health and safety training. In addition, most represents just over 2,600 members Branch Presidents have completed training Division Officers on deep organising, and this has continued WA Division Secretary: Jonathan Hallett at the four public universities to be rolled out further among other elected Division Assistant Secretaries: Richard in WA: Curtin University, Edith officers. Hamilton (Academic), Corinna Worth Cowan University (ECU), Murdoch The impact of COVID-19 and the loss (General) University and the University of of international student revenue has Division President: Catherine Moore Western Australia (UWA) as well reverberated throughout the sector and Division Vice-President: Sam Green Union. Responding to COVID-19 meant as the University of Notre Dame diverting much NTEU work online and Division Staff Australia (UNDA). internal adoption of new software and Senior State Organisers: systems to maintain member support and The Division also represents members Donna Shepherdson, Paul Benson (leave activism. Staff and officers have rapidly at Student Unions at all the four public coverage, April to June 2020) developed new skills in digital organising and universities, Research Institutes (largely Industrial Officers: Katherine Morison online collaboration. (to March 2020), Simona Grieco (to April affiliated with UWA) and private providers 2020), Joe Fiala (from April 2020), Nashell such as Navitas. WA was fortunate to be able to implement Ireland (from June 2020) return to campus COVID-19 Safety Plans A year of extraordinary change, ahead of the rest of the country with a Division Organisers: Eileen Glynn, challenge and growth Raechel Smith, Ryan Costello (to July comparatively short period of lockdown with 2020), Beth Cole (on extended leave We have continued the reorientation of the NTEU staff working from home. WA Division towards an organising model at from Dec 2019), Claire McKinnon (from The membership of the WA Division has Branches and bedding down the new staffing Dec 2019), Phil Chilton (from April 2020), significantly increased this last year in part structure and roles adopted mid-2019. We Henry Booth (from Oct 2020) due to a large boost during the initial stages completed a review of industrial servicing Member Services Officer: of the crisis and then continued growth over in the Division with outcomes including Jayne van Dalen recent months with Branch activity on poorly changes to databases and file management thought through change processes, excessive processes, realignment of some workplace workloads and other attacks by management issues to Branch-based staff and transition to on jobs and working conditions. new referral processes. ECU Branch has done significant work in Individual member queries for industrial reviewing university policies and supporting advice and representation are now members through challenges in working from increasingly being directed towards our home and returning to work post COVID-19 Member Services Team, freeing up our shutdowns. Organisers located on campus to work with delegates and members to take collective University of Notre Dame Australia enterprise action and support local campaigns. Other bargaining progresses slowly in fits and starts staff professional development has included and work with private providers has had a Mental Health First Aid and workplace national focus on wage theft. Image (this page): UWA Branch members, Feb 2020. 48 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ WA Division Events for Bluestocking Week, Wear it Purple followed by 77% support in a vote of all UWA against their and their colleagues’ best Day and IDAHOBIT were held online and staff. long-term interests. Staff didn’t fall for it innovative socially distanced campus events. and the tremendous rejection of Murdoch’s A new Our Workload Commitment campaign WA Branches supported national campaigns Senior Executive drive to attack staff pay and has subsequently rolled out across the against the Federal Government’s reforms conditions tells the University that NTEU University, with the purpose of building unity, to higher education including local actions, members are a united and powerful voice. monitoring workloads and collecting data for lobbying mobilisation and joining with any industrial disputes that may be necessary In a tragic end to this reporting period an Student Guilds at UWA and Curtin in rallies. to enforce the University’s Workload incident on a construction site at Curtin Win for whistleblowers and academic Framework or the job protection measures of University on 13 October resulted in a loss freedom the temporary variations. of life and injury to others. We send our sympathies to these families, our solidarity Murdoch University withdrew all legal Major wins against non-union ballots to our CFMEU WA colleagues and continue claims against whistleblower member Gerd attacking pay and conditions to pledge our support for the labour Schröder-Turk in February and will no longer While the COVID-19 crisis has had a financial movement’s continuing efforts to ensure attempt to prevent Gerd from serving on impact on Curtin University, the hard work every worker returns home from work safely. the University Senate. This brought to a of the staff accompanied by the University’s #StandUpSpeakOutComeHome. ◆ close almost a year of campaigning and legal accrual of a large investment reserve over action. the past decade has meant that Curtin is one In the final settlement of the case Murdoch of a very few universities across the country agreed to an ‘independent review’ of Senate capable of weathering this storm relatively procedures/protocols. Subsequently TEQSA unscathed. also reported that “Murdoch had been at risk The 55% majority rejection in September of non-compliance due to an inconsistent of Curtin management’s proposal to freeze application of its own Admissions practices, salaries sends an important message that which resulted in the admission of some staff were not convinced of the necessity to international students (in 2018) who were give up a pay increase in order to preserve ill-equipped to progress through their jobs, and value the delivery of quality course of study” further vindicating the education over protecting investment whistleblowers’ actions. reserves and a profit at any cost. Protecting jobs at UWA: If the work Following the ballot result to not forgo stays, the job stays the 2% pay increase due 30 June 2021, the

The extreme financial pressure stemming premature and unnecessary step taken by Images (this page): Becky Ioppolo (UWA) from the COVID-19 pandemic required Curtin University management to press #SaveHigherEd National Day of Action selfie, 21 May extraordinary measures to avoid mass job forward with its program of mass voluntary 2020; Members painting the WA Division’s Save Higher Ed Jobs banners; Social media graphic celebrating the losses. NTEU negotiated a Jobs Protection redundancies, painted a disappointing picture Union win at Curtin University, Sept 2020. Framework at The University of Western of disingenuous consultation and disregard Australia to maximise job security during this to the constructive views offered up by staff time of crisis for our sector with temporary and the Union to date. variations to UWA’s Enterprise Agreements, Murdoch University staff also voted in in conjunction with a Memorandum of September to overwhelmingly reject Understanding. management’s attacks on their pay and leave The proposal involved staff making conditions with 73% voting no to a proposed temporary sacrifices in return for an variation to their Enterprise Agreement. enforceable commitment to protect jobs to Murdoch management had failed to be substantially reduce forced redundancies, transparent in their dealings with staff and prevent unpaid stand-downs, minimise NTEU about university finances and refused potential job losses in 2020-21, and provide to provide any commitment to the protection greater security for casual and fixed term of jobs. staff. Murdoch even tried to exploit the The variations were supported in June by vulnerability of their most insecure workers 79% of voting members in an internal ballot by offering a $500 inducement to vote

49 NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ WA Division nteu.org.au/annual_report