Deakin addressing sessional academic payments

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Dear Deakin staff,

I am writing to inform you that Deakin has identified the inadvertent underpayment of some sessional academics and voluntarily disclosed this matter to the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO).

As your Vice-Chancellor, I sincerely apologise on behalf of the University and particularly to those affected. This should not have occurred.

We are working hard to identify the extent of the issue across the University, fully remediate affected staff and improve our systems and processes.

What happened?

The primary issue relates to the misapplication of marking formulas used to calculate the pay of sessional academic staff. This meant Deakin did not pay some sessional academics for the actual hours they worked.

Some former and current sessional academics at Deakin, who performed marking and associated duties, are potentially impacted.

Deakin’s response

Extensive work has been undertaken to review our practices and processes with the support of external legal services firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth and financial services firm Deloitte.

To date, the review has primarily focused on the School of Communication and Creative Arts (SCCA) and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) in the Arts and Education Faculty since the commencement of the Deakin University Enterprise Agreement 2017.

We are committed to expanding this review to determine whether there are any other affected sessional academic staff in other areas of the University.

We are also improving our marking and remuneration systems and processes to prevent a recurrence and ensure Deakin casual employees are paid according to the law.

Associate Professor Jaclyn Broadbent, Pro Vice-Chancellor Sessional Academic Experience, is leading a broader project to enhance Deakin’s marking and remuneration practices.

Deakin has voluntarily self-reported this matter to the Fair Work Ombudsman. We will work with the Ombudsman on our progress to identify and address any issues affecting our sessional academics. We are also engaging with the National Tertiary Education Union.

Next steps

Former and current sessional academic staff identified as potentially impacted will be contacted by Deakin in due course.

If you believe you may be impacted and want to contact Deakin, please email our People Connect team or call 03 5247 9999.

Once again, I'd like to express my sincere apologies on behalf of the University, and we will continue to provide updates as necessary.

Sincerely,

Professor Iain Martin 
Vice-Chancellor