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 Oce 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,