Sydney Uni downplays staff calls for boss to quit

The University of Sydney has dismissed calls for Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott’s resignation from a small group of mostly former staff members – including one who was sacked for misconduct.

The University of Sydney has downplayed calls for the Vice-Chancellor’s resignation from a group of mostly former staff members – including one who was dismissed for serious misconduct.

The University of Sydney Association of Professors issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned about persistent issues affecting academic staff and students at the university”, calling out “unresolved issues” throughout Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott’s tenure.

“Despite numerous efforts to address these concerns through internal channels, we have seen little progress,” the statement read.

“The current Vice-Chancellor’s tenure has been marked by a series of unresolved issues, including complaints and concerns related to staff wellbeing and academic freedom.”

The university has now issued a statement downplaying the call for Mr Scott’s resignation, identifying former neuropathology academic Professor Manuel Graeber – who was dismissed over serious misconduct findings – as its president.

Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott.

“The University of Sydney Association of Professors operates independently as a small group and does not represent the views of the university or the majority of our staff,” the statement read.

“The President of this group, Dr Manuel Graeber, was dismissed following findings of serious misconduct, which were made after an extensive process, spanning over a year.”

Dr Graeber was accused of installing an unauthorised camera in his office and improperly asking to dissect a colleague’s wife’s brain.

He has filed a Federal Court lawsuit, alleging his sacking was unlawful and in retaliation to allegations he made of bribery and mismanagement.

Mr Scott has separately come under fire in recent months over the university’s response to protests after the October 7 attacks in Israel.

Pro-Palestine students established a camp on the university’s grounds for many weeks in the style of many American universities to protest the ensuing conflict and the university’s association with French weapons company Thales.

SafeWork NSW is currently investigating a complaint from a University of Sydney staff member alleging the university had failed to adequately protect Jewish staff and students’ psychosocial safety.

These issues were not explicitly addressed in the statement from USAP.

Mark Scott has been under pressure over his response to protests following the October 7 attacks on Israel. Picture: Britta Campion / The Australian

“We do need to be able to … separate out criticism of Israel and Israel’s foreign policy conduct … I don’t think that is automatically anti-Semitic,” Mr Scott said at the time.

“People will be upset from time to time by things that they hear, by things that they see, by the presence of people who hold strongly divergent views from them, but as a university, we need to be able to manage that diversity of views.”

Beyond persistent criticism of the university’s response to Israel-Palestine tensions, the university has also faced allegations of wage theft affecting academics in recent days.

The university has recently engaged consultants to identify and remediate any underpayments, with its latest annual report revealing the institution anticipates wage underpayments of $7.4m to ongoing employees and a further $70.1m to casual academic staff.

“The recent appointment of a new Chancellor provides an opportunity for a fresh start,” the USAP statement continued.

“We urge the University Senate to consider selecting a new Vice-Chancellor from among senior academics in agreement with staff, with a focus on restoring the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, staff wellbeing, student success, and community service.”

Mr Scott was the NSW Department of Education secretary from 2016 until 2021 when he joined the university.

He was previously managing director of the ABC from 2006 until 2016, and held multiple senior editorial roles at Fairfax including as the Sydney Morning Herald’s education editor and editor-inchief of metropolitan, regional and community newspapers.

He is currently the chair of the Group of Eight universities, chair of the Conversation Media Group board, and chair of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government’s Academic Board.

More to come.

Originally published as Sydney Uni downplays staff calls for boss to quit