The regulator warns some aren’t

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency reports “some universities have been proactive” in addressing underpayment of casual academic staff.

But, and it is a very big but indeed, “a number of universities either do not appear to recognise the seriousness of the issue or are not responding in the way TEQSA would expect of a well governed and well managed quality higher education provider.”

The assessment is in the regulator’s 2021 Compliance Report, released Friday.

Chief Commissioner Peter Coaldrake told HE to get it together last year, “the issue has been around long enough now that we are quite concerned at the unevenness that has been demonstrated across the sector by institutions and by organisations,” (CMM October 11).

Yet “unevenness” apparently remains. And so TEQSA tells HE again. In particular, it requires;

* “a comprehensive review of payroll, time and record-keeping practices”

* “clear steps in place to mitigate and manage identified risks”

* “embedding on-going monitoring to ensure continued compliance with workplace laws and reporting to the audit and risk committee”

* full cooperation with Fair Work Ombudsman investigations

And then there is one that should not be happening given the outrage has been around for years

*  “rectified any instances of underpayments and demonstrated how underlying issues will be addressed.”