Western Sydney University staff to face ‘final decision’ on job cuts in November

Thousands of staff face a tense four-month wait to find out if their necks are on the chopping block amid sweeping job cuts at Western Sydney University.

Western Sydney University will sack between 300 and 400 people.

Thousands of researchers, lecturers, admin and operational staff face a tense four-month wait to find out if their necks are on the chopping block after Western Sydney University severed ties with around 45 senior management staff, amid sweeping job cuts across the board.

Furious employees and student allies rallied outside Vice-Chancellor George Williams’ office building after staff received confirmation that one in four of the university’s 180-member senior leadership group had been let go, and proposed changes for the rest of the workforce would be released by the end of September.

“This week, I made the wrenching decision to inform many senior leaders that their positions can no longer be maintained under the University’s new structure,” Professor Williams wrote in the all-staff email on Friday.

“These decisions were made with reference to our financial position and our mission, and not personal factors or performance. The outcome reflects the need to live within our means.”

High profile heads rolled include Professor Andy Marks, former vice-president of public affairs, who was then replaced by former Liberal MP Geoff Lee.

Staff and students rallied on Tuesday against the proposed job cuts outside the WSU Chancellery. Picture: Instagram

It comes as the university prepares to slash up to 350 more jobs from the rest of its workforce in an effort to balance the books, after forecasting a $79.1m operating deficit for the 2026 calendar year.

“From August, we expect to identify the roles proposed to be impacted by change … with final decisions to be communicated to all staff by November,” Professor Williams wrote.

Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Professor George Williams. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Australian.

In a briefing on Western Sydney University’s financial position in April, the Vice Chancellor blamed the deficit on having approximately 1800 fewer domestic and 1150 fewer international students than expected, plus a $27m spend on cybersecurity following repeated cyberattacks.

President of the National Tertiary Education Union’s WSU branch David Burchell said “gloomy student load forecasts” from the university’s own CIA – the Office of Competitive Intelligence and Analytics – were based on preliminary figures and not real student headcount.

“No university worth its salt should sack hundreds of staff so as to repay them for the university’s poor accounting practices,” he said.

In the coming weeks the NTEU will present to the administration an alternative picture of the university’s financial position, including its own plan to get the budget back in black.

Screenshots from a staff briefing on Western Sydney University’s financial position in April.

“I’m confident you could do it without sacking anybody, and I think George knows it,” Dr Burchell said.

In a statement, the Vice-Chancellor told The Daily Telegraph the workforce reduction and subsequent organisational restructure will “align with our priority of student success”.

“As Western Sydney transforms, we are reshaping ourselves to be the university the region needs and deserves. We are resetting with a focus on students and the community,” he said.

Linguistics student Amy Lamont, convener of the student-led Stop WSU Cuts campaign, said any perceived benefit to students is “just rhetoric”, urging university leadership to “take a different strategy” in dealing with budget deficits.

“Staff working conditions are student learning conditions,” she said.

Screenshots from a staff briefing on Western Sydney University’s financial position in April.

“Staff are already working at 145 per cent capacity and they’re given a choice between ‘do I work unpaid overtime, or do I do what I can in my paid hours and provide a lower quality education because of it?’”

The university declared a $42.1m deficit in its 2024 Annual Report tabled to NSW Parliament last week, an improvement on the $142.5m deficit it recorded the previous year.

WSU law student Pooja Zinzuwadia called on the university to be “transparent” about the restructure. Picture: Supplied

Employee expenses increased by $44.7m in the same period, however, with nearly half spent on non-academic staff.

Third-year law student Pooja Zinzuwadia said if structural changes and job cuts are necessary, the university must be transparent about the process “so students can stay informed and feel confident in their academic journey”.

“These cuts don’t just affect staff – many of whom are students and alumni – but also significantly impact students as we are the ones who bear the impact,” she said.

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