WERTE! ◆
Pandemic adversely affects Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander employment The impacts of the pandemic on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment across the sector has been relatively unclear. Recently, though, the data universities report to the Government has been released and analysis of this has painted a distressing picture. In 2020, there was a net loss of 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff (headcount) appointed to fixed term and ongoing roles, representing a 3 per cent decrease across the sector. This actually equated to a loss of 73 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander full time equivalent positions, representing a 4.6 per cent decrease in the same period.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Staff
Of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff who left the sector or lost their jobs, professional staff were the most dramatically impacted. Indeed, 73 pro-
fessional staff members lost their jobs, yet there was an increase of 21 academic staff.
(HEWRRs) that we have seen a real decrease in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff numbers in the sector.
While this increase in academic staff is encouraging, it is important to note that this headcount of 21 new Indigenous academics actually only equated to a full time equivalent gain of 5 staff, suggesting that any gains were in fractional employment.
Indeed, apart from a couple of years which included institutional reporting anomalies, the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff have continued to steadily increase since 2006.
It is the first time since the Howard Government's introduction of the Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements
There are two important things to note about this data. The first is whilst the Government reports data on ongoing and fixed term Aboriginal and Torres Strait continued overpage...
1800 1600 1400
Full Time Equivalent
1200 1000 800
Number
600 400
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Years Fig 1: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff in tertiary education
ADVOCATE VOL. 29 NO. 1 ◆ MARCH 2022
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