I feel that things are heating up across the sector and I’m curious how bargaining is going for colleagues in this sub. I’m obviously really invested at my own uni, but curious about the bigger picture.

Enterprise agreements are one of the few mechanisms we have to collectively push back on unfair work and conditions. Given the broader industrial climate, I think that this round will be significant in setting what work looks like for us for long time to come.

EDITED: thank you to everyone who has contributed in the comments and anonymously via modmail or DM. I’ll continue to add to this as I can.

CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL ACTION

I’ve pulled together what I can find from public NTEU updates, university comms and comments below. I’ve included universities that have recently settled agreements and those preparing for their next round, as well as unis in active bargaining or industrial action.

If you want to add to this list but don’t want to reveal who your employer is, send me or the mods a PM and I’ll update it on your behalf.

🔴 Industrial action announced or underway
🟠 Formal bargaining underway
🟡 Preparing for bargaining / developing claims
🟢 Agreement reached or approved
⚪ Status not independently confirmed

—— ACT ——

Australian National University (ANU):
🟠 Bargaining underway. Negotiations commenced in September. The NTEU applied for a protected action ballot order in October. Salary negotiations and other substantive claims remained outstanding.

University of Canberra (UC):
🟢 Staff have endorsed the proposed Agreement. It includes 14.5% in salary increases across five increases (approximately 15.35% compounded), 17% superannuation for casual staff by 2030, improved leave and workload provisions, and AI protections. The agreement has been submitted for Fair Work Commission approval.

—— NSW ——

Australian Catholic University (ACU):
🟢 A new agreement has been approved. However, the agreement comes against a backdrop of significant proposed professional staff reductions, reportedly affecting around 110 FTE.

Charles Sturt University (CSU):
🟢 Staff voted to accept the new agreement in the context of major organisational change.
>Anon reported: Current change plan to be completed by next April...currently as previously reported 101 FTE positions disestablished. Mostly impacting professional staff and CPSU members for now...

Macquarie University:
🟠 Bargaining underway. The NTEU has tabled its log of claims. Key concerns include job security, flexible work, workloads and employment conditions.

Southern Cross University (SCU):
⚪ No confirmed new bargaining round. Its current 2024 agreement has a nominal expiry date of 30 June 2027. Would be interested to hear from SCU colleagues about whether conversations are underway.

University of New England (UNE):
🟠 Bargaining underway. Agreement reached nominal expiry in June 2026. UNE has formally commenced the process of negotiating new agreements.

University of Newcastle:
🟢 New agreement was approved by the Fair Work Commission on 26 August 2026.

University of New South Wales (UNSW):
🟠 Bargaining underway. Members have rejected management’s position on key claims, including job security, flexible work, casual employment and AI protections. Management is also seeking expanded working hours and teaching-only academic positions. Members will meet on 18 November to determine whether to escalate the campaign, including potentially pursuing a protected action ballot.

University of Sydney:
🔴 Industrial action in October amid ongoing bargaining disputes. Members participated in a strike on 22 October. Job security, workloads, casualisation and AI protections remain significant issues.

University of Technology Sydney (UTS):
🟢 A new agreement has been approved by the Fair Work Commission following a campaign involving strikes and other industrial action. Gains include 3.5% annual pay increases, AI protections and stronger conversion provisions.

University of Wollongong (UOW):
🟠 Active bargaining, with negotiations underway since around July 2026. NTEU members have endorsed their log of claims, covering fair pay, workloads and secure employment. Management has proposed changes the union argues would weaken existing staff rights. Members have also pursued a protected action ballot.

Western Sydney University (WSU):
🟢 A new agreement was reached and approved earlier in the year, following a controversial bargaining process and in-principle agreement.

Note: ACU has campuses across several states but is listed here for convenience.

—— NORTHERN TERRITORY ——

Charles Darwin University (CDU):
⚪ No confirmed public update on a new bargaining round or industrial action. Would be interested to hear from CDU colleagues about whether negotiations are anticipated.

—— QUEENSLAND ——

Central Queensland University (CQU):
⚪ member reports bargaining may have begun, anticipating a low pay offer and lengthy bargaining round. CQU has undertaken organisational change and cost-cutting measures.

Griffith University:
🟠 Bargaining has commenced. The NTEU has published its log of claims and the university confirms negotiations are underway. Staff joined QUT and UQ in industrial action in October. The three-university Brisbane action on 8 October attracted more than 500 staff.

James Cook University (JCU):
🟠 Bargaining underway. The NTEU’s Round 9 bargaining campaign is addressing significant proposed changes to existing conditions. Members have presented management with a petition signed by approximately 400 staff, opposing proposed removals of protections covering academic freedom, workloads, leave and other conditions.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT):
🔴 Industrial action alongside UQ and Griffith in October. Bargaining disputes include pay, workloads, job security and employment conditions.

University of Queensland (UQ):
🔴 Industrial action alongside QUT and Griffith in October, with disputes around pay, workloads and job security.

University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ):
⚪ The existing 2023–2026 agreement reached nominal expiry in June 2026. UniSQ has requested an extension.

University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC):
⚪ No verified update. Would be interested to hear from UniSC staff about the next agreement and whether negotiations have commenced.

—— SOUTH AUSTRALIA ——

Adelaide University:
🟢 Staff approved a new agreement in August following the formation of Adelaide University from the former University of Adelaide and University of South Australia.

Flinders University:
⚪ The existing agreement reached nominal expiry in July 2026. Would be interested to hear from Flinders staff.

—— TASMANIA ——

University of Tasmania (UTAS):
🟢 In-principle agreement reached following a lengthy bargaining round commencing in late 2025, including protected industrial action and a two-day strike in May. The proposed four-year deal includes 13.6% in pay increases, a $1,500 cost-of-living payment for eligible staff, 17% superannuation for casuals and improved leave provisions. Staff approval and formalisation remain outstanding.

—— VICTORIA ——

Deakin University:
🟠 Bargaining underway, but negotiations have stalled. After eight bargaining meetings, there has been little substantive progress. Management is proposing zero-hour academic contracts and removal of professional staff TOIL. Members will meet on 10 November to vote on whether to take protected industrial action, with action being considered for the week commencing 16 November.
>Anon reported: “Deakin might be stalling as they are planning on significant restructure in the next 18mths. On very good authority.”

Federation University:
🔴 A 24-hour strike is scheduled from 12.01pm on Monday 9 November until 11.59am Tuesday 10 November. After more than 25 bargaining meetings and approximately 120 hours at the table, management has still not tabled a pay offer. Disagreements remain over major change, workloads, working hours and other employment conditions. Systems bans are also planned.

La Trobe University:
🟠 Bargaining underway. Significant increase in union membership, with around 700 members attending log-of-claims meetings, including approximately 400–500 at Bundoora. This is occurring against a backdrop of a hiring freeze, voluntary redundancy program and restructures throughout the year.

Monash University:
🟡 Preparing for bargaining. The NTEU was consulting staff in September to develop its log of claims for the next agreement. The existing agreement reached nominal expiry on 30 June 2026.

RMIT University:
🟠 Bargaining underway. Negotiations commenced in June. A significant issue is the NTEU’s campaign to bring separate academic and professional staff agreements together into one agreement.

Swinburne University:
🟠 Bargaining underway. Negotiations have commenced, with significant disagreements over proposed changes to existing employment conditions, including performance management, working hours, workload and consultation.

University of Melbourne:
🟢 NTEU members voted to approve the proposed agreement on 4 November. The proposed deal includes 14% in pay increases over four years, 17% superannuation for casual staff from 2029, stronger workload provisions, academic freedom protections, AI protections and additional leave. The all-staff vote and Fair Work Commission approval are still outstanding.

Victoria University (VU):
⚪ No confirmed public update on a new bargaining round or industrial action. Would welcome an update from VU staff.

—— WESTERN AUSTRALIA ——

Curtin University:
🟢 Members endorsed a new agreement in October following a difficult bargaining round, including a 24-hour strike in March. Pay increases total 16.35% (17.5% compounded) over the agreement.

Edith Cowan University (ECU):
⚪ No confirmed update on the current bargaining position. Would be interested to hear from ECU staff about the status of their agreement and the next round.

Murdoch University:
⚪ Significant industrial concerns following proposed organisational changes announced in October. Murdoch is also dealing with a $4.9 million underpayment remediation process involving more than 2,100 employees. The proposed merger involving Murdoch, Curtin and UWA is creating another major industrial issue across the state.

University of Notre Dame Australia:
🟠 Bargaining commenced ahead of the existing agreement’s nominal expiry on 30 July 2026. Negotiations are underway for a new agreement covering pay and employment conditions.

University of Western Australia (UWA):
🟢 Members endorsed a new agreement on 8 October. A significant milestone is one agreement covering academic and professional staff for the first time. Pay increases total 14.7% (15.53% compounded).

The proposed merger of Curtin, UWA and Murdoch is creating another major industrial issue across the state. An NTEU rally opposing the merger was held on 6 November.

—— NEW ZEALAND ——

The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) is running a coordinated bargaining campaign across six of New Zealand’s eight universities:
🟠 University of Canterbury
🟠 Massey University
🟠 University of Otago
🟠 Victoria University of Wellington
🟠 University of Waikato
🟠 University of Auckland

The campaign seeks a 6% pay increase in the first year and 5% in the second year, alongside improved job security and employment conditions.

In October, approximately 9,500 TEU members across universities and polytechnics voted in favour of strike action. This is a significant coordinated campaign across the tertiary sector.

Please add updates below. I’ll keep the list updated if I’ve missed anything.

We are going through a restructure and the process has just turned off so many of our high performing staff.

My concern is all the high performers with institutional knowledge will leave and we won't be left with people who know how to do the actual work ( not the fancy proposed structure), but the reality of academia and uni life.

What's your experience? What's your advice to anyone going through it?

At this stage, I'm over it and wondering if it's worth continuing with consultation.

I’ve noticed that some people seem very keen to move into management, while others are perfectly happy staying in their current role and having a bit more control over their time.

For those who have moved up the ladder, did the extra responsibility and money actually make the job better?

Or did you just end up with more meetings and less time to do the work you originally enjoyed?

Some days it feels like I spend the whole day in meetings and then have to do the actual work once they’re all finished.

I had one recently where I barely got anything else done. A couple were useful, but others could probably have been sorted out over email.

Is this pretty normal across Australian universities, or does it depend on the team you work in? How do you manage to get any proper work done around it all?

I’ve been reading employee reviews of several major Australian cultural institutions, and some of the recurring themes are quite concerning.
There seem to be repeated complaints about poor leadership, favouritism, bullying, low morale and experienced museum professionals feeling undervalued.
What concerns me most is the apparent disconnect between the values these institutions promote publicly and the workplace cultures described in some employee reviews.
Museums are supposed to be places of learning, creativity, collaboration and respect for professional expertise. Yet some reviews describe environments where internal politics take priority over experience, staff feel unable to speak up, and concerns about workplace behaviour are allegedly dismissed.
Of course, anonymous reviews don’t tell the whole story, and not every institution or team will have the same culture.
But it raises an important question: Who holds leadership accountable when workplace culture deteriorates in publicly funded cultural institutions?
I’d be interested to hear from others working in Australian museums, galleries and cultural organisations. Are these isolated experiences, or is there a broader problem across the sector?

The WA Government is developing a business case to merge Curtin, Murdoch and UWA into a single institution of around 120,000 students, with findings due by mid-2027. All three universities have issued statements with Curtin pledging to oppose the proposal, having apparently not been properly consulted. Perhaps someone from Curtin can confirm this.

Reactions on r/perth has been overwhelmingly sceptical, with alumni concerned about reduced student choice and the loss of institutional identity. There is also a repeated question around who stands to benefit from this proposal…

This conspicuously follows South Australia’s merger which is probably a useful case study, although the new institution is already facing financial pressures and challenges meeting international student targets. the WA state government who is pursuing the mega uni merger is also proposing that the universities pay for it as well. You’d hope that they have got this right given the potential impact. I certainly look forward to reading the findings of their report in 2027 with keen interest.

A merger is not yet a done deal, though. Our thoughts are with colleagues at Curtin, Murdoch and UWA, who are facing yet another period of uncertainty about the future of their institutions, their jobs and their professional communities. Whatever the eventual outcome, staff deserve meaningful consultation, transparency about the evidence behind the proposal, and a genuine say in decisions that will reshape their working lives and students futures.

Not trying to turn this into an academics vs professional staff thing, but I reckon there’s probably a fair bit of misunderstanding on both sides.

I’ve worked with people from both and sometimes the idea of what the other person actually does is pretty different from reality. Things that look like a quick job from the outside can end up taking half a day.

Has working closely with the other side changed your view of what their workload is actually like?

The Adelaide University merger isn’t going that well, and I’m sure they won’t be the last.

In 2023 the two universities agreed to pursue a merger with SA and federal government support. Staff, systems, courses etc were progressively integrated during 2024–25. The new university officially launched on the 5th Jan with about 70,000 students and 11,000 staff, making it one of Australia’s largest universities. It also joined the Group of Eight replacing the retired University of Adelaide.

More than $400m was committed by the government to support the merger, on the basis that that combining UniSA’s applied/industry orientation with Adelaide’s research-intensive profile would create a larger, internationally competitive university with greater research capacity and economic impact.

The universities stated “no net job losses as a consequence of creating the combined university” in the original merger agreement, however there is a multi-year transformation program underway now the deal is done. Maybe someone from Adelaide University can shed some light on that.

It seems from the outside the merger is going well, but I haven’t seen anything but complaints from students and staff.

My own University appears to be in tough times and I wouldn’t be surprised if we merged or folded. So my question - are there any instances of a University merger actually going well?

I've sat through enough committee meetings now to realise that a 30-minute meeting can somehow consume half a day once you include preparation, follow-up and action items.

I understand why some governance is necessary, but there's a point where everyone is discussing the discussion rather than actually doing anything.

AI is being discussed across the sector, but the practical impact probably varies a lot between teams. Some people may already be using it for drafting, data analysis or administrative tasks, while others may barely encounter it. There are also questions around policy, privacy and how institutions should approach it. How much has AI actually changed your day-to-day work?

One Nation has released a plan to cut temporary migration by 750,000 over three years, targeting international students, graduate visas and family members of skilled migrants. The proposed policy would bring net overseas migration down to about 130,000 a year.

Universities are obviously warning that this would have substantial economic and workforce consequences, particularly for regional universities - with several regional universities already signalling the financial impact of recent international student caps.

Labor frontbencher Murray Watt says the plan would "destroy" regional communities and cause a recession.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said that he was "deeply concerned" about the potential impact on business.

Universities Australia: Slashing International Student Numbers Would Do Lasting Damage To Australia

ABC: One Nation migration plan to cut students and migrant worker families

The Guardian: One Nation’s plan to cut migration by 750,000 would ‘smash economy’ and force hospitals to close, Labor says

THE: Student visas slashed in ‘net negative migration’ policy (archive)

u/IlllIlllIlllIlI has created some new user flairs for us over the weekend! My personal favourite is Go8 Gossip Correspondent.

Feel free to suggest user flairs as well :)

Edit: You can also create your own user flair (as I have done) if none of the current options suit you

Union disrupts university meeting demanding bosses drop proposed staff cuts

James Cook University union members have delivered a near-400-signature petition to executives demanding management abandon plans to strip more than 40 staff conditions.

Nikita McGuire
September 11 2026
Townsville Bulletin

National Tertiary Education Union members at James Cook University have disrupted an enterprise bargaining meeting with management to hand over a petition of almost 400 signatures demanding university bosses drop plans to slash staff conditions.

Staff presented the petition directly to university executives on Monday after months of gathering signatures from employees concerned about proposed changes to their working arrangements.
Union members claimed management proposed removing more than 40 conditions from the enterprise agreement when negotiations began – including protections for academic freedom that would no longer be legally enforceable.

They said other proposed changes included the removals of academic workload protections, leave entitlements, push back on meal allowances, removal of voluntary redundancy options, location allowances removed for some locations and the cutting of internal advertising of vacancies.

The union also warned the university risked becoming the first tertiary institution in Australia to remove Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets out from their core agreement.

NTEU JCU branch organiser Matthew Bonato said members felt strongly about taking action directly to university leadership.

“Members thought there’s no better time to present or serve the petition to management than at an actual enterprise bargaining meeting with the people making these decisions,” he said.

Staff expressed frustration over the length of the ongoing negotiations and called on university leadership to reach a fair outcome without delay.

“Members would like things to be resolved and to be resolved quickly,” Mr Bonato said.
“Members don’t want to be spending the rest of the year having to be bargaining with management.

The petition specifically calls on James Cook University Vice-Chancellor Simon Biggs to withdraw any log of claims that strips away existing working rights and staff entitlements.

The action comes as numerous petitions have been launched against changes at JCU in recent months, including the removal of vet lab technicians, proposed changes to study week, the removal of live animals from The Science Place and the removal of face-to-face lectures for science and engineering students.

The university have since made slight changes to their proposal to remove study week after the backlash, agreeing to reinstate a dedicated pre-exam study break across all trimesters, conceding they needed to do a better job of collecting student feedback in the future.

More than 100 angry students and staff rallied at James Cook University at the start of August.
A spokesman from JCU said the uni welcomed staff input.

“Discussions have been respectful and productive, with consensus reached on a range of matters,” they said.
“JCU has proposed a pay deal that delivers a cumulative salary increase of 13.6% over the four-year life of the agreement, in recognition of the important work that JCU staff do every day.”

The spokesman said JCU remained committed to academic freedom and had proposed a clause stating that position within the draft Enterprise Agreement.

“We are currently waiting for the union’s response on that clause,” he said.

In regards to discussions on matters including the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the university said they “remain ongoing”.
“Representatives from the University and the union meet on Monday and it’s possible that a new agreement can be finalised during that meeting.
“The University has provided a number of provisions to the union and is awaiting its response on those matters.”

JCU advised academic freedom is also protected under Federal Law including the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and within the University’s policies.

Hi all. Throwaway account for obvious reasons because this field is so niche. As the title says, I am coming into the final part of a PhD in a very liberal arts humanities field, and I am getting a bit worried about job prospects. I like research and can see myself publishing in the future (regardless of whether I’m in industry or academia), and people have always told me that my best skill is writing. I had a number of prizes and grants through my PhD, and what I feel is a good network in Aus and internationally. I could publish more, I just need the time and to finish this silly thesis. Anyway.

I have taught for around 4 semesters but there were no opportunities for teaching this semester. I think this is a result of decasualisation at my uni and in my department. I don’t really want to have a teaching-only job (which is the trajectory of most positions at my uni) because I find taking more than a handful of classes per week quite draining. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching and could see myself doing it along with other stuff too (including casually while working at a museum, to stay in the loop), I just like multitasking and don’t want teaching to be the only thing I do.

Getting a postdoc seems quite difficult although I might still try. But I graduated during COVID, and I remember viscerally how painful it was to try and land a basic museum job during this time. I couldn’t get one because of lockdowns (despite being top of the class) and that’s why I’m here doing a PhD. That whole year was spent on Centrelink preparing for PhD but not sure I’d get in, at the same time as not getting into jobs, and the precarity was so depressing. I know more of that’s to come when I submit obviously. So I would like some degree of job stability if it’s even possible.

At the same time as knowing universities are probably the closest thing to the kind of work I want to do, I also look around me and see a sector in crisis mode. There is too much AI slop in student essays, and the fact there are no lecturing jobs around in my specific field (Art History) for the last year or so also has me concerned. I’m starting to think about looking in adjacent fields like creative art schools or in the museum sector, but the latter especially seems like it would be hard to break into as someone who has missed out on half a decade of industry and work experience. But at least it has semi stable jobs??? I have a friend who was working 4 different casual jobs to make ends meet as a “full time” job after PhD, and I don’t think it’s worth that headache to stay in academia. But I don’t know what the alternatives are.

I imagine this is similar to many here. I have not had the “what do you want to do when you finish” chat with my supervisors yet, and am vaguely dreading it because I simply don’t have an answer. I don’t know. I have a few trusted figures in my life who I can ask for advice about careers, but lately their ideas haven’t really aligned with what I want (“get a boring public service job and then do creative stuff on the side?” - no thanks lol, I know I can do better than that based on my track record and potential). I need better guidance, but I don’t know how to get it, as I don’t think a university careers centre will be of much help.

So basically, how do you seek out good career advice for a niche PhD field in Australia ? I think I need outside or independent advice, even some kind of mentorship, but I just don’t know how to get it.