The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has raised serious concerns over the appointment of University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black to the board of major consultancy firm Deloitte Australia.
According to UTAS University Council minutes, Professor Black offered to offset his Deloitte board stipend against his $1.11 million UTAS salary, an offer that was rejected by the governing body.
NTEU Tasmania Division Secretary Dr Ruth Barton said:
"This raises serious questions about governance and why a well-paid vice-chancellor is earning a second salary. Why did University Council knock back an offer to offset these payments?
"The Vice-Chancellor role is meant to be a full-time position requiring complete dedication to the university and its students. Taking on additional paid board positions while drawing a salary of over $1 million raises fundamental questions about priorities and commitment.
"Professor Black seems to have a tin ear. UTAS announced a large loss last year, is heading for another one this year, and has retrenched 100 people over the last 12 months.
"Yet here he is taking on a second paid position while drawing a $1.11 million salary. It's tone-deaf leadership at its worst."
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said:
"This highlights the increasingly murky lines between major consultancy firms and university leadership. We're seeing a troubling pattern of vice-chancellors double-dipping with board appointments and second jobs supplementing their already outrageous salaries.
"Vice-chancellor salaries in Australia average more than $1 million a year.
"When university leaders start collecting additional stipends from major consulting firms, it creates obvious conflicts of interest and questions about where their loyalties lie.
"Major consultancy firms are being handed millions of dollars by university executives to draw up damaging job cut plans.
"It's completely inappropriate for Vice-Chancellors to be supplementing their million-dollar salaries with external board positions. It's just another reason we need major governance reform at a federal and state level."
