High Uni Fees but Academics Underpaid

By Alan J. McDonald

The report of The Australian dated 17 May 2023 reported that La Trobe University owes backpay to casual academics of up to $6.5 million. Those responsible for the underpayments should be made more accountable. Vice Chancellors are paid extraordinarily high salaries and student HECS fees are a serious imposition on a younger generation.

La Trobe University is created and regulated by statute, and it therefore has clear rules to which it must abide, not just employment laws. It has widespread privileges, but those privileges do not extend to contravening its statutory regulation or employment laws.

Query what action is being taken against the university, Vice Chancellor and Executive Management to ensure that lessons are learnt?

Small businesses are fined heavily in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia when they fail to pay their workers even if the reason they have not paid is because they cannot afford to do so when their business is failing. Surely, small business associations must be calling for very profitable university businesses who are constantly demanding money from the government to be given equal treatment/penalties.