Not all are impressed with the 10 per cent pay hike in the deal done at Central Queensland University

Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, head Stuart Andrews agrees with the view that the CQU deal involves salary increases which are very generous. He is also at pains to point out that the annual 2% increases over 5 years are unlikely to be matched by other universities, with other offers across the country being less than 1.5% per annum.

Management consultant Andrew Dempster agrees, telling clients yesterday that an early agreement, which CQU’s is, does not necessarily set a precedent. “Last round, CQU was also one of the first universities to settle. CQU’s headline pay increase then was 4% per year, around a percentage point higher than universities that followed. “And if, if, Education Minister Simon Birmingham gets his funding cuts through the Senate universities may not be able to afford to follow CQU, he adds.