The university has created new jobs and abolished ten

In November management proposed abolishing some jobs, creating new ones and course changes to address a $1.5m deficit and meet, “the changing needs of students.”

The campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union acknowledged, a “challenging financial environment,” but questioned abolishing ten, in the main senior, academic positions, “with substantial existing research, PHD student and research staff supervision, industry and partnership commitments, teaching loads.”

The union also claimed the new structure would emphasise data science, at the expense of stand-alone epidemiology and biostatistics.

PVC Health Sciences Archie Clements now tells CMM that “after comprehensive consultation” there were changes to the proposal last month. These include, three new jobs, movement of others within the school and the loss of ten positions, “that no longer fit the future strategic positioning of the school.”