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.

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 professional staff members lost their jobs, yet there was an increase of 21 academic staff.

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.

It is the first time since the Howard Government's introduction of the Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs) that we have seen a real decrease in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff numbers in the sector.

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.

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 Islander staff, it does not report the number of casual staff employed in the sector. Therefore, we have no idea just how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander casual staff are in the sector in the first place and subsequently, how many found themselves without contracts due to COVID and reduced student loads during the pandemic.

We can make the assumption, however, that considering how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff positions are funded either via Indigenous Student Support Program (ISSP) funding or via research grants, the loss of Indigenous casual staff has been pronounced due to the loss of the student cohort.

The membership decline has tended to reflect this. Of the members who have dropped off the NTEU system, the vast majority have either been members who have left their institution or have had a contract end. Some redundancies have featured in the mix but they are greatly outnumbered.

The second thing to note about the data is that whilst the drop in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff numbers is notable and distressing, it is lower than the recorded data for all staff. These losses were recorded at around 7 per cent – severely under-reported according to NTEU estimates.

Change through bargaining

Whilst this is some solace, we must remember that as part of their funding agreements with the Government for ISSP funds, all universities are supposed to be pushing towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staffing cohorts of 3% of the total number.

At this point in time, the Indigenous staffing numbers are still equalling about 1.3 per cent nationally. Given that the sector is not even halfway to achieving population parity, any losses of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff are unnecessary and contrary to what the supposed goals are of universities.

NTEU is in a bargaining round and throughout this, we will be pushing for hard Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets at all universities, better and more culturally appropriate working conditions for Indigenous staff, and the recognition of Indigeneity as a genuine occupational qualification.

Get elected!

In order for these claims to be successful, we need bargaining teams to push them at the table and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members to be advising Branches on what sorts of things would make your campus a safer environment to work in.

We also need as many members as possible to consider running in the upcoming NTEU elections to ensure all Branches and Divisions have Indigenous representation on their committees.

Finally, members are encouraged to look out for upcoming member meetings, as well as member information sessions. It is our hope to hold a couple of Indigenous-specific information sessions, particularly with regards to bargaining and our goals for 2022.

Reversing the trend

It is truly hoped that this downward turn in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education staff cohort is short-lived and, as universities start to move back towards operating as they did in pre-pandemic times, so too we see a recovery and increase of Indigenous staffing numbers.

Certainly, if universities do indeed wish to continue working towards being inclusive spaces which respect the longest continuing knowledge systems in the world, it is imperative that they work towards retention and diversification. ◆

Celeste Liddle, National A&TSI Organiser