VC Mark Scott announces a $2000 “COVID recognition payment”

The money will go to continuing and fixed-term staff. Plus, casuals who worked a minimum of three pay periods in second semester will receive the full $2000.

““It has been an extraordinary time, and this extraordinary measure is our way of saying thank you to our much-valued community,” Professor Scott said yesterday.

The VC alluded to the COVID-caused staff pain as the university anticipated revenue downturns last year and this, including a spending freeze and voluntary redundancies. And he warned that while the financial future is “hard to predict,” “what is clear for now is that our academic and professional staff have made an enormous contribution to our success.”

And successful Uni Sydney was given the toughness of the times, as revealed by federal government figures last month.

While 2020 revenues were down $95m (3.5 per cent) on 2019, the university still recorded a $106m positive net operating result on revenues of $2.644bn.