A week after Iain Martin’s immediate exit as VC at Deakin U, the wholesale restructure planned on his watch is on hold, with a re-design widely expected across campus.
Professor Martin’s departure was announced to staff last Tuesday by Chancellor Claire Higgins, who did not mention the restructure, but a decision on its future will now be made by the University Council following the end of the formal consultation period on Friday.
There is deep disquiet across campus both at the scope of the cuts and the risks to the university’s reputation. Council members are said to be anxious about the industrial relations and occupational health implications of the present plan, which is said to far exceed what they expected. Some members of senior management are also opposed, in line with the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union.
“The change documents are a masterclass in strategic fog, replete with corporate language that makes little sense, lacks any evidence-based justification, and fails to acknowledge the human beings affected,” the union states in open letter to Ms Higgins, who became Chancellor in January.
The portfolio restructures now run to 270 or so pages of operating unit charts showing staff/positions with those selected to survive allocated to “match” (continue as is) or “translate” (slotted into a new but similar job) categories. There are others where jobs are gone, but people are allowed to apply for vacancies at their existing pay grade. Plus there are open selections for new jobs. These are displayed in pink and there are pages and pages of work units with little other than the carnation colour.
The Academic Portfolio proposal lists dozens of senior-management positions as in “in-scope,” including DVC A Jessica Vanderlelie, who presented the proposal at a staff meeting preceding Martin’s departure.
Just about all staff in central service teams are in named positions as are those in school-based units, including teaching and learning support and development, student recruitment and the library. And the process is very specific. All 44 positions in the Student Advising team are open-selection but 64 student experience advisers will translate into similar positions, only their three team leaders and senior manager positions are open for competition. While academics are included in the portfolio proposal, the majority of changes are in professional staff roles. The Infrastructure-Digital proposal is selectively severe with some teams left all but entirely alone, however across the two portfolios this is an enormous exercise.
Professor Martin’s management hinted at comprehensive staff savings in the recent 2025 Annual Report, which stated last year’s $3.8m underlying surplus was the first post-pandemic but that a return to deficit was expected this year. The report also referred to a 5% hike in staff costs (to $930m), “from enterprise agreements and increased staff numbers across both academic and non-academic cohorts.” But the big loss is expected to come from a decline in international students, with suggestions that it could cost up to $200m.
For now, the union is piling on the pressure on Ms Higgins and her Council colleagues, demanding a suspension of the still-officially-in-place ongoing workplace change consultation, as required by the university enterprise agreement. Plus much more; the NTEU demands management “involve staff meaningfully in the appointment of new leadership and commission an “independent review of executive governance at Deakin.”
In previous restructures, including at DU, these would have been pro forma protests, with management sticking to enterprise agreement process and the Fair Work Commission duly rejecting disputes. But times changed when the NTEU and allies at ANU defeated the job cuts plan there, which was followed by the resignation of the previous Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, plus a majority of external members of the university council who had backed the savings plan.
Perhaps the union hopes to do the same at Deakin. Whether they will feel a need to try is down to Ms Higgins and Council.