General Secretary Matthew McGowan announces he will not run for re-election

News that the veteran National Tertiary Education Union official is leaving came as the union’s president Alison Barnes declared for a second term, as did national assistant secretary Gabe Gooding.  They team up with NSW state secretary, Damien Cahill who is running to replace Mr McGowan.

Mr McGowan, says that after 30 years with the union it is “time to make way for a new generation to lead.”

“It has been a real privilege and honour to represent staff, and to feel like I have made a difference along the way.”

Dr Cahill nominates, “insecure employment, rampant over work, endless workplace restructuring and fiscal austerity” as issues to address.

While Dr Barnes was elected unopposed for her first term she is being challenged by rank and file activist Anastasia Kanjere (La Trobe U).

Dr Kanjere has support among casual academic union members who opposed the existing national leadership’s attempt to secure a system-wide agreement with university managements to make temporary trade-offs in return for job protections during the first Covid-19 wave, in 2020.