The university wants to keep confidential what it pays its top 50 people. The SA Ombudsman does not agree

Uni Melbourne researcher Mike Zyphur FOI’d the information but the university said no, that it was private, not in the public interest and would have an adverse effect on the university’s business.

But deputy SA Ombudsman Steven Strelan does not agree, for a bunch of reasons, including, the” agency” is not a business.

Rather, he stated, “the agency is a publicly funded educational and research institution. While acknowledging that the agency receives supplementary funding from sources that are commercial in nature, and that the agency may carry out research that has commercial purposes, I would hesitate to describe the agency overall as an institution which engages in activities of a for-profit nature.”

And, “the information relates to the remuneration of the highest paid staff members of the agency, who would be in receipt of public funding, and receive such public funding for the purpose of the agency’s educational and research functions. I do not consider the information in issue is for-profit in nature”

CMM asked the university for comment, which it did not provide by deadline last night.