From bluey to bogans: Researchers who help define how the nation speaks to lose their jobs
There are blueys and bludgers, chardonnay socialists, cleanskins and cashed-up bogans. The way Australians use the English language is often direct, facetious and occasionally just a little cruel.
And for almost 40 years, the words the nation uses in speech, newspapers and books has been mapped by a small team at the Australian National Dictionary Centre in Canberra.
Director of the Australian National Dictonary Centre Professor Amanda Laugesen.Credit: Rohan Thomson
Those efforts are set to come to an end after Australian National University management, as part of a major cost-cutting drive, unveiled plans to “disestablish” the centre.
“It is going to be a loss to the community as what we do is explaining changes in language use,” said centre director Professor Amanda Laugesen.
Researchers at the centre produce The Australian National Dictionary as the pre-eminent record of Australia’s unique vocabulary.
“Its job is to document and study the way Australians have used language over time, and as such is essential to understanding Australian society, culture and identity. There is no other project that does this in Australia and so it will be a tremendous loss to the nation.”
The Australian National Dictionary Centre conducts research into Australian English, and provides Oxford University Press with editorial expertise for their Australian dictionaries.Credit: Rohan Thomson
The university cited reduced external funding from Oxford University Press for the centre and its “limited alignment” with the university’s broader strategic direction as reasons for closing it.
Other research centres facing the chopping block, after the university unveiled plans to shed jobs, include the ANU’s Humanities Research Centre and the ANU Centre for European Studies.
Professor Bronywyn Parry, dean of the university’s college of arts and social sciences, said, “This decision reflects the need to reduce recurrent operating costs and address areas of duplication, while ensuring that core academic activities are sustainably embedded within schools and colleges.”
The cuts come as some of Sydney’s biggest universities are slashing jobs as part of radical cost-cutting measures amid major budget shortfalls caused by uncertainty over international student numbers.
At ANU, management has told staff the need for change has been driven by persistent financial challenges, declining international rankings, an inefficient decentralised operating model as well as increased competition and external uncertainty.
Under the current proposals, 59 jobs in the university’s college of science and medicine, college of arts and social science and its research and innovation portfolio are set to go.
Forty-one additional job cuts from its information security office, information technology services and planning and service performance divisions were proposed last month. Further academic cuts may follow.
An ANU spokesman said it was “on a journey” to financial sustainability and sought to reduce costs by $250 million, including $100 million in salaries. It had already achieved just over $50 million in salary savings.
ANU vice chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell said, “We need to make changes to ensure we can continue to deliver on our national mission to provide world-class teaching and research into the future, and in a way that is responsible in our use of public funds and the fees our students pay.”
Bell has stressed in updates to staff that the proposals are not final and are subject to consultation.
However, there is a perception among staff that the university has already lost a significant portion of its workforce over the past 12 months, National Tertiary Education Union ACT division branch secretary Lachlan Clohesy said.
“We think there is no continuing financial rationale for job cuts at ANU,” Clohesy said.
Workplace Gender Equality agency data submitted by the ANU showed its headcount decreased by 797 in the 12 months to March. ANU has refuted this, telling staff this week that those figures cannot be used to calculate the size of its workforce because it uses “point in time, snapshot reports” and counts casual staff as full-time employees.
“Our view based on the cuts that they have already made is that they have already achieved the target and there is no financial justification for further cuts,” Clohesy said.
The vote occurred after it was revealed Bishop used the university’s funds to pay her business partner as a consultant, and that the vice chancellor held a second job at Intel in the US while in her role.
Earlier this year, Western Sydney University unveiled plans to cut up to 400 jobs in a bid to plug an almost $80 million budget black hole.
The University of Technology Sydney has also told staff up to 400 jobs could go under its restructure, while Macquarie University has also announced plans to cut about 50 academic jobs.
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