This letter, signed by 18 academics from 11 Australian universities, was submitted to "the Australian". Rather than running the letter they ran a story in the 4/11/98 edition, with some small inaccuracies. The essential point was also missed, viz. that people with PhDs are not having their contracts renewed while at the same time people at ECU with lesser qualifications are being opportunistically reclassified as "graduate students" and having their contracts renewed.

[Update, November 1999, one year later: Dr Anderson, the particular academic mentioned in the letter, is leaving Australia for a university position in Brunei.] 

Letter to HES, the Australian:

Earlier this year the Industrial Relations Commission made a ruling which was
designed to make life for academics on contracts more stable. In practice,
however, it has often turned out to mean the reverse in a climate in which the
real agenda is being set by a chronic lack of funds. The case of contract
staff at Edith Cowan University illustrates the worst consequences of the way
the IRC ruling is being applied. A large number of contract staff with PhDs at
ECU have had their contracts discontinued rather than converted to ongoing
positions. At the same time contracts are being renewed in cases of staff
without PhDs who are or can be reclassified as `graduate students' to meet the
terms of the IRC ruling. The ruling is thus having the unforseen effect that
classes at ECU will often end up being taught by less qualified people - a
`McJob' approach to academic careers.

While some ECU contract staff will be able to apply for continuing positions,
in areas such as mathematics no continuing positions are to be offered, which
means effective firings. The human cost of this is graphically represented by
the case of our colleague Dr Malcolm Anderson, who has been employed on
Lecturer A contracts in Mathematics at ECU for 5 years. Dr Anderson is an
ANU University Medallist, holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, has
held an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship, and is respected in the international
community for his research papers in general relativity. Edith Cowan University
is fortunate to have been able to hire someone of his obvious calibre. The fact
that ECU is now treating him so callously, however, reflects a disturbing trend
that is repeating itself all around the country.

Careers of young mathematicians and physicists are being sacrificed in
Australian universities as disciplines reliant on service teaching suffer most
in squabbles over ever-diminishing resources. As scientists who are only too
aware of the importance of these core disciplines in creating a technically
educated populace, we appreciate the long-term damage that will occur if a
generation of young Australian scientists continue to be marginalized. We ask,
where is Australia heading? When and where will it stop?

Signed:

Dr David Wiltshire (University of Adelaide)
Dr Hugh Luckock (University of Sydney)
Prof. Robert Bartnik (University of Canberra)
Emeritus Prof. Angas Hurst (University of Adelaide)
Dr John Schutz (LaTrobe University)
Emeritus Prof. R John Sandeman (Australian National University)
Dr Leo Brewin (Monash University)
Dr David Hartley (University of Adelaide)
Dr Reginald Cahill (Flinders University)
Dr Peter Szekeres (University of Adelaide)
Dr Hilary Booth (University of Adelaide)
Prof. Phil Broadbridge (University of Wollongong)
Dr Graeme Sneddon (James Cook University)
Dr John Steele (University of New South Wales)
Dr Geoff Prince (LaTrobe University)
Dr Jonathan Kress (University of Sydney)
Prof. Geoffrey I Opat (University of Melbourne)
Dr Peter Jarvis (University of Tasmania)