Delegate profile: Brian Pulling, UniSA

I am a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia, studying persistent pain. My primary goal is to create tools that help researchers and clinicians better understand the experience of people with pain.

Joining the Union seemed obvious to me. I’m originally from the United States, so I’m in Australia on a student visa. There are profound problems with the American higher education system, too numerous to detail here. Suffice to say that in my experience, Australian higher education is extraordinary in many important ways. That said, there are worrying trends and very recent and unresolved injustices facing university staff and students alike. I am a firm believer that we cannot take our fortunate circumstances for granted. In my view, union membership means speaking out and standing up against inequities.

The word 'unprecedented' has come up too frequently in the last 12 months. We are all learning that we cannot merely 'ride-out' the pandemic, and that large-scale adaptations are required if university education and research are going to survive.

In my limited experience, the NTEU is unique in that it represents all levels of university staff, from tenured professors, to part-time lecturers, all the way down the hierarchical order to post-grad students. This presents a phenomenal opportunity to fight effectively for equitable working conditions and protections for workers regardless of stature.

As a PhD candidate just starting my professional journey in academia, I can see clearly that the challenges facing academics are not going away. We will continue to fight against funding cuts, misinformation, and even corruption in our own institutions. Too much will be asked of our staff and students, and we will rely more on the compassion of our colleagues in an increasingly uncertain world. The weight of this challenge would crush any individual trying to carry it alone. The NTEU has the unique capacity to bring us together to share that challenge.

As an NTEU delegate, I hope to be a resource to my colleagues. My experience is of course biased and limited, but my first priority is that I use my voice and privilege to amplify the issues of others.

There are specific issues that are at the forefront of my mind. I am extremely concerned about the manipulation and mistreatment of international students who flock to Australian universities in pursuit of otherwise impossible dreams. Funding for research is delayed and insufficient, with resources being wasted because of short-sighted, self-interested intermediaries, and expectations that prevent adequate translation of research to those who stand to benefit most from the findings.

And of course, casual contracts are inconsistent and too often insufficient, putting increased burden on full-time staff, with a direct negative impact on students. Someone recently asked me why they should join the NTEU. Unions, by definition bring workers together to protect the integrity of their work. I feel strongly that our work is valuable and worth protecting. ◆

Find out more at nteu.org.au/delegates