National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at University of Technology (UTS) have exposed a litany of serious management failures that are threatening the institution's fabric.
The Australian Financial Review earlier this week exposed glaring examples of the overwhelming crisis at UTS, reinforcing staff concerns about governance failures.
Unaccountable senior university leaders have bungled restructures and major projects, leading to budget blow-outs and soaring workloads.
VC Andrew Parfitt has faced disgruntled staff at town halls on multiple occasions to justify these changes. Despite a lack of evidence and logic, he insists the University must cut 400 UTS jobs.
In the midst of this turmoil, 2 executives within the senior leadership team have exited abruptly since the start of the year. The departure of Provost Vicki Chen was announced just this week.
Poor problem-solving and decision-making that fails to involve staff, often preferring consultants with almost no experience in the sector, has led to 'solutions' that are far removed from the realities on the ground.
This has created a culture of fear and mistrust between employees and management.
In 2024, university leadership claimed a $100 million budget deficit blowout, from an earlier predicted $45 million.
Requests from staff for transparency and key financial documents were refused by UTS executive despite damaging job cuts being proposed.
A national NTEU campaign exposing the serious governance crisis in universities has sparked a federal parliamentary inquiry, which held a hearing earlier this year.
Quotes attributable to Sarah Attfield, NTEU UTS Branch President:
"Staff mental health and morale are at an all time low. Failures in consultation and transparency have hamstrung staff, leaving them increasingly unable to identify and challenge oversights made by leaders so far removed from the day-to-day functions of the university.
"When are university leaders going to take real accountability for their errors, instead of making staff and students face the consequences of decisions they had no role in?"
"I work at UTS because I believe in the value of public education and research. Public universities are pillars in our communities, educating the next generations on how to make our society better for all".
"As staff at UTS, we care so much about the quality education we provide, but it is getting harder by the day to maintain that quality, and it is coming at the cost of our health."
"NTEU members are pushing back against these cuts, raising concerns, keeping staff and students informed, and mobilising hundreds to rally against these ignorant and ill-conceived plans. And we're not done yet."
Quotes attributable to Vince Caughley, NSW Division Secretary of the NTEU:
"What our members are experiencing at UTS is yet another example of the governance failures and lack of accountability that have become entrenched in Australian universities. Senior executives and management appear more focused on shielding themselves from scrutiny than ensuring the effective operation of the institutions they are meant to lead.
"This pattern of decision-making—where executives sideline staff expertise, isolate decision-making, and ignore internal warnings—has led to serious consequences, not just for ITU and UTS but across the sector. It underscores the urgent need for the senate inquiry into university governance and accountability.
"Rather than fostering transparency and collaboration, university management is increasingly operating in ways that alienate staff and suppress dissent. Reports of bullying, intimidation, and the erosion of proper decision-making processes are becoming more frequent, pointing to a systemic issue that cannot be ignored.
"The crisis at UTS is not an isolated case—it's part of a broader trend of university executives prioritising their own interests over the public institutions they are supposed to serve."
Quotes attributable to Dr Damien Cahill, General Secretary of the NTEU:
"Unfortunately, what we're seeing at UTS is symptomatic of the governance crisis engulfing Australian universities." "By global comparisons, Australian vice-chancellors' million-dollar salaries are among some of the highest in the world, yet all too often we're seeing poor management decisions being made under opaque oversight structures. "The recent federal parliamentary inquiry into university governance couldn't have come soon enough. Government has a responsibility to ensure our public universities are fair and thriving spaces that provide the world-class teaching and research this country deserves."
