🙌 Happy New Year! Start the year protected, connected, and organised. Join NTEU members making 2026 about better workplaces and better universities: nteu.au/join

2025 proved what we can achieve together. 2026 is about going further. 👉 Be part of something bigger. Join NTEU today: nteu.au/join

After breakthroughs over wage theft, university governance and much more this year, no wonder NTEU members were keen to celebrate! If you missed the party at Trades Hall last week - no worries - come next year! Become a member: nteu.info/joinnteu #HigherEducation @vthc.org.au #HigherEd #AcademicSky

The union-run vote comes as controversial, consultant-designed redundancies continue and politicians call for resignations.

“Professor Parfitt has admitted that elements of this plan were absolutely not in the public good, and were pursued in such a callous way that SafeWork NSW ordered a prohibition order due to what was deemed as a serious and imminent risk of psychological harm.” Sarah Kaine MLC

What do you want from Santa this Christmas? Casie and Johanna from Baker Institute want more NTEU members! Join NTEU: nteu.info/joinnteu #HigherEd #HigherEducation #Union #academiclife #AcademicSky @damiencahill.bsky.social @alisonbarnes.bsky.social @nteunion.bsky.social

📣 An extra 9,500 domestic university places will be available next year. “Students are entitled to the best education, and we need more staff providing pastoral care in our classrooms rather than seeing thousands of job losses.” - alisonbarnes.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEGJ...

📣 Calling all university staff and students 📣 Our universities are growing – but what does that mean for teaching, learning and student support? Take our short survey (5–10 mins) today: nteu.info/classes

This is the third parliamentary inquiry into uni governance - federal, NSW, now Victoria. NTEU members have exposed the damning evidence: $280m+ wage theft, outrageous exec pay, toxic cultures, corporate-stacked boards. We're winning government action. www.premier.vic.gov.au/putting-stud...

MAJOR UNION WIN 🥳 The federal government will implement a new set of university governance principles to strengthen accountability, transparency and public trust following recommendations from the Expert Council on University Governance. Read more: nteu.info/majorwin @alisonbarnes.bsky.social

This damning report is really worth reading and the language of the authors’ criticism of uni executives and their failure to acknowledge the governance crisis is uncharacteristically strong.

Wish I could talk about the teaching and research achievements of our members but nonetheless was great to join former colleague Sue Wright, debunking the excuses of the vice-chancellors’ lobby group for management’s bad decisions www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

It has taken time to get university governance on the public radar. Our sector has experienced casualisation, wage theft, & mass job cuts. @nteunion.bsky.social, especially @alisonbarnes.bsky.social, have been great at going after the root cause - the leadership & governance crisis in higher ed.

Much attention has been on ANU but the governance crisis is broad and deep across the sector. Close scrutiny needs to be applied *everywhere*. This is shameful from UTS management.

The Senate inquiry’s interim recommendations are a massive win for @NTEUnion members’ campaign for governance reform. Transparency, caps on VC pay, stronger staff/student voices & tougher TEQSA powers – all welcome steps. There’s more to fight for!

This devastating plan is a disaster for the community and represents a direct attack on the core mission of UTS. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Go Barnsey 🎸🎸🎸 www.afr.com/work-and-car...

Bishop needs to go as well. There is no sensible governance arrangement where she gets to lead appointing a new VC. A new Chancellor / Chair and then a deep breath followed by a proper process to appoint a new VC / CEO needed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

"A completely broken governance system has allowed unaccountable executives to cause enormous damage to staff, students and communities" - Alison Barnes, NTEU National President @alisonbarnes.bsky.social @nteunion.bsky.social #ANU region.com.au/genevieve-be...

Extraordinary for uni bosses to suggest they have no control over the bottom line. Yes, the government needs to scrap Jobs Ready Graduates and replace it. But vice-chancellors must own $734m on consultants in a single year and the executive pay explosion! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

In the last two years, ANU leadership has taken an approach of moving fast and breaking things. Unfortunately, too many of those things were people. Very proud of @nteunion.bsky.social members at #ANU. Now to lock in no forced redundancies. ✊

With @NTEUnion members at Victorian Parliament to speak with government MPs about the university governance crisis and the need for reform. Thanks to everyone who shared their horror stories with the MPs including Deputy Premier and Education Minister @BenCarrollMP.

Vice chancellors' decision to cut jobs while defending their excessive pay further erodes our public institutions and undermines trust in university governance. Let's stand together for better universities 👉 betterunis.nteu.au 📰Read in full here: www.news.com.au/national/nsw...

“Replacing the ANU vice chancellor is a necessary first step… But it is not a sufficient step… If governance and policy direction doesn’t change, it won’t matter who sits in the vice chancellor’s chair – the outcomes for staff, students and the public will be the same.” www.afr.com/work-and-car...

At today’s Senate inquiry hearing, VCs spent more time complaining about “compliance costs” than showing contrition for the governance crisis. They want to sack hundreds of staff, hiding behind false narratives instead of owning their disastrous workforce planning. www.news.com.au/national/nsw...

🎙️LIVE NOW🎙️ Hear from VCs in Sydney at the Senate Inquiry into university governance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfKv...

Australian universities are a shit show and university managements who listen to corporate consultancy grifters are to blame. My latest in the @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“If the most prestigious university in Australia will not fund our most prestigious literary journal, then it makes you question whether or not universities actually care about Australian culture.” johnmenadue.com/post/2025/09...

Meanwhile, keep up the pressure for change by signing our petition. www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/pe...

We'll be ready to work with interim leadership from Day 1 to end Renew ANU and stop *all* forced redundancies. This is only possible with new leadership. @nteunion.bsky.social - and everyone else - knows that the farce at #ANU has gone on for far too long.

Vice-chancellors will face the Senate inquiry into university governance on Monday. They have very serious questions to answer about shocking governance failures on their watch. So far we've seen no meaningful action from VCs to fix governance. Reform is urgent.

💰💰💰https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/university-boss-got-a-240k-pay-rise-over-three-years-20250902-p5mrth

Reckless Restructures A workplace safety watchdog has intervened to pause a restructure at the University of Technology Sydney due to concerns about its psychosocial impact on staff. With comments from @alisonbarnes.bsky.social from the @nteunion.bsky.social

Michelle Arrow, Anna Clark and Frank Bongiorno’s co-authored piece in The Conversation. @michellearrow.bsky.social @frankbongiorno.bsky.social @ouranu.bsky.social @utsengage.bsky.social #MacquarieUniversity

What a historic win! SafeWork NSW has stepped in to force UTS management to pause job cuts. This would not be possible without NTEU members at UTS standing together to voice and expose the serious and damaging psychosocial impacts on staff wellbeing. Article 👉 www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

SafeWork NSW orders UTS to pause job cuts due to risk of ‘psychological harm’

Our students deserve better than cuts to the courses they can study and cuts to staff who support their learning and development.

These sudden and unnecessary course and job cuts are a symptom of the broken governance structures that overpaid and unaccountable university leaders operate under. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

This is some ripe new bullshit from the cashed up grifting consultancy class cannibalising Australian universities. This is SHAMEFUL from @westernsydneyu.bsky.social. #auspol

With founding NTEU members, branch presidents and rank and file members with their families and friends. We march for peace and to stop the genocide.

“Universities should not be operating like Big Brother. Universities must not quietly roll out surveillance programs and only tidy up their policies once caught out.” -NTEU National President @alisonbarnes.bsky.social @nteuvictoria.bsky.social

“It’s especially galling that La Trobe University management has used its role as a sponsor of the festival to stifle academic freedom and freedom of expression – the very principles universities are built on.” -NTEU National President @alisonbarnes.bsky.social @withmeaa.bsky.social

The @NTEUnion has consistently called for TEQSA to be given more power to regulate governance and university leadership. This is another promising sign that our campaign to fix governance is working.

TEQSA has now written to the ANU advising its “investigation had been expanded to include ‘broader risks to compliance’ including the culture of the ANU Council and executive leadership, and oversight of its financial position”. Good. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

The job and course cuts we are fighting against at Macquarie Uni are devastating for staff and students. Thanks to old friends and workmates for sending me their photos from their open day action.

The bullying allegations against ANU chancellor Julie Bishop land on top of a series of crises at the university, yet its governing council has shown little inclination to discipline or remove any key staff, writes Jason Koutsoukis reports. satpa.pe/GuH8puT

UTS academics describe ‘culture of fear’ as enrolments put on hold for nearly a fifth of courses

I have almost run out of things to say about the people running Australian universities www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...