Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater started the job during a restructure – she is set to leave during another one

Last week UWA announced it would replace UWA Press, with open access publishing of university research, making staff redundant.

It is adding to anxiety on campus, where there are rumours of management looking for significant savings in recurrent spending from the Services Transformation Project.

This does not cheer up staff who remember Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater’s round of job cuts, part of her comprehensive reorganisation of the university, (CMM July 14 2016). As originally planned, that involved a 230 FTE reduction to professional staff numbers (CMM August 25 2016). It also included academics who took VRs as part of the restructure.

However, this time may not be so tough. According to UWA, “in coming months the university will propose a small number of voluntary redundancies in Campus Management and Finance, along with the presentation of plans for development and investment in its future workforce.”

Whatever a “small number” turns out to be, Professor Freshwater will not be there to oversee the process– she leaves in the new year to become VC of the University of Auckland.