University of Technology Sydney facing crisis amid union-led no-confidence vote in vice-chancellor

17 minutes agoTue 9 Dec 2025 at 1:31am

More than 90 per cent of staff have lost confidence in Andrew Parfitt’s leadership. (AAP: Sitthixay Ditthavong)

In short:

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is planning to cut hundreds of jobs and courses, which management says is needed due to an $80 million deficit.

Staff say it has damaged their mental health and questioned why senior management took expensive overseas travel.

What’s next?

A UTS spokesperson said the union had "chosen to grandstand" rather than find "viable" solutions to the university’s financial challenges.

One of Australia’s top universities is facing a historic crisis, with 95 per cent of staff voting no confidence in vice-chancellor Andrew Parfitt as hundreds of staff and subjects face the axe.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), which ran the vote, said 1,549 of the roughly 4,000 University of Technology Sydney (UTS) staff cast a ballot, with 1,465 expressing no confidence and just 84 expressing confidence.

"In our 35-year history, UTS has never had a staff ballot on confidence in a vice-chancellor until now. That alone speaks to the unprecedented scale of concern," said Dr Hossai Gul, a researcher at UTS and NTEU representative.

"Staff have waited patiently for a year, hoping for reasons to trust leadership again, but instead have experienced further secrecy, deeper fear and worsening harm."

Andrew Parfitt came under fire earlier this year for being one of five senior executives who spent more than $140,000 on flights, accommodation and food during a trip to the US. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

Dr Parfitt was not immediately available for an interview but in a statement a university spokesperson questioned the "integrity" of the vote.

"We will always respect and listen to the views of our staff. However, the integrity of the vote itself is in question given complaints from some staff who tried to vote and found that their email address had already been used," a university spokesperson said.

"We have raised these serious concerns with the NTEU."

The NTEU responded to university management in a letter, saying it would correct any "mistakes" in the vote.

While the vote was run by the NTEU, it was open to all UTS staff, not just NTEU members.

Staff held a rally on Tuesday to announce the vote results amid a year of conflict over the need for job cuts and revelations of expensive executive travel.

Hossai Gul says staff have lost confidence in the vice-chancellor because of a lack of transparency and a collapse in democratic academic governance. (Supplied: Hossai Gul)

The proposed cuts also attracted the attention of state and federal inquiries and regulators, as staff in distress were given stress management advice that included "washing delicates".

"Staff have lost confidence in the vice-chancellor because of a pervasive lack of transparency, a collapse in democratic academic governance, and a year-long process that has caused significant organisational harm," Dr Gul said.

"Instead of reassurance, staff have experienced fear, confusion and exclusion from decisions that define the future of UTS."

The university spokesperson said the NTEU had "chosen to grandstand" rather than find "viable" solutions to the university’s financial challenges.

"These tactics are in stark contrast to the approach from staff who have engaged in the change process, gave thoughtful ideas and worked constructively to help find solutions," the spokesperson said.

"Their feedback is influencing the outcomes and next steps."

Mehreen Faruqi says the VC needs to resign. (AAP: Lukas Coch)

Greens deputy leader and higher education spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi, who questioned UTS leaders at a recent Senate inquiry into alleged governance failures, attended the rally and called on the vice-chancellor to resign.

"Today’s no-confidence vote makes one thing undeniable: the people who make this university run no longer trust the people who are supposed to lead it," Ms Faruqi said.

"When staff resoundingly reject you, it’s time to go. There is no other option but for the VC to resign."

Sarah Kaine is leading a separate parliamentary inquiry into university governance. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

That was echoed by NSW upper house Labor MP Sarah Kaine, who is leading a separate state inquiry into university governance and also attended the rally.

"Given the debacle that has been the change process at UTS, the decent thing to do would be for the VC to resign — remembering that he has been at, or close to the helm, of the university that he claimed was in [financial] crisis," Dr Kaine said.

$7 million spent on consultants

The turmoil at UTS began when management paid consultants KPMG $7 million to design a change management proposal called Operational Sustainability Initiative.

It proposed about 400 academic and professional staff, or roughly 10 per cent of the workforce, be made redundant and roughly 1,100 subjects be scrapped.

"UTS is operating under a deeply concerning power structure where major decisions affecting academic governance, finances, job security, teaching and research, are driven centrally by the vice-chancellor, with others expected simply to comply," Dr Gul said.

"That is not how a public university should be governed. Staff see no credible vision for the future of UTS."

The university spokesperson said the proposal was necessary to "secure the future of the university", which was spending more than it earned.

"The challenges we are facing, and change, is difficult and emotional, especially for a purpose-driven community like ours," the spokesperson said.

Last month, the university updated its change proposal and said most academic redundancies would now be voluntary and that some of the 1,100 planned subject cuts would not proceed.

Earlier this year, the university proposed about 400 academic and professional staff be made redundant. (ABC News: Monish Nand)

However, staff anger continued to simmer, particularly when a NSW inquiry heard that amid the furore the vice-chancellor was appointed to another five-year term.

"The handling of the vice-chancellor’s contract extension is a key example: over a year ago, his term was extended to seven years, without informing staff, without explaining the decision," Dr Gul said.

"While simultaneously telling us UTS is financially unstable and that jobs must go. That contrast has destroyed any remaining trust."

In a statement, the university said the failure to communicate the extension was an oversight.

"In 2024, the UTS Council was mindful of the need for continuity in leadership with the chancellor’s term ending in 2025 and proposed extending the vice-chancellor’s contract," the spokesperson said.

"It was an oversight that this was not widely communicated at the time."

Dr Kaine said the current governance arrangements "do not pass the pub test, let alone any test of good governance".

UTS said it had increased the representation of staff and students on the council.

"UTS Council has chosen to increase its representation of elected staff and student members above the minimum to support a strong voice in the constitution of its membership," the spokesperson said.

"UTS also has a student council liaison group."