The department responsible for the wellbeing of students at Perth’s premier university is facing major staff cuts with roles including senior psychologists set to be made redundant.
University of Western Australia management has proposed a restructure of Student Life, responsible for a host of student services including counselling, psychological support, student outreach and scholarships.
Staff in UWA’s Student Life team could be facing cuts, and the impact on staff and students alike is worrying.Credit: Bohdan Warchomij
Under the proposed changes, 60 positions would be made redundant while 37 new positions would be created, resulting in a net loss of 23 jobs, with some being replaced by positions at a lower pay grade.
The university’s Health Promotion Unit, responsible for programs that help protect the health and wellbeing of students, including providing information on sexual assault on campus and drug and alcohol abuse, would be cut entirely.
Dr Sanna Peden, the National Tertiary Education Union’s UWA branch president, said the cuts were worrying and counterintuitive to a predicted 15 per cent growth in student numbers by 2026.
“A key concern is that staff will be taking on additional workloads while being faced with potential pay cuts of up to $10,000,” she said.
“There will also be many roles filled in by staff with less experience and at lower appointment levels, which will be stressful for them, but will also negatively impact the students.”
Peden said it was a particular concern for the psychology sessions offered by the team, with senior members likely to be replaced.
She said with fewer staff, the waitlist would also be longer.
“There is a youth mental health epidemic at the moment, and while it is not up to the university to solve this huge societal problem, they should not be taking backwards steps in their approach,” she said.
“Outreach to high schools could also be affected as the team do a fantastic job at diversifying the student body and making sure students who may not even have university on their radar consider UWA as a viable option.”
Peden said understaffing often also resulted in staff feeling like they could not take leave, so they didn’t put additional pressure on an already struggling team.
The university is reviewing its enterprise bargaining agreement, which expired in 2021, and Penden said she hoped to include a clause stating jobs could not be made redundant unless the work that job completed was no longer necessary.
The Pelican magazine, UWA’s student newspaper which first reported the proposed changes, quoted anonymous staff members who said it was clear the plan was “primarily intended to cut costs rather than to enhance the student experience, which will be eroded ... if the proposed changes are implemented”.
Another said they were worried by the ceasing of certain roles in Student Wellbeing and Engagement, such as the senior psychologist and the Health Promotion Unit.
“If one of the primary strategic goals is ‘enhancing the student experience,’ how can support for mental health and wellbeing be limited and displaced?” they said.
A university spokeswoman said UWA was undergoing a program of structural reform to ensure it could continue to improve the digital and campus infrastructure and research and teaching facilities for students.
She said student experience was a priority and considered in all decisions, and any proposed changes in operations would not impact on studies.
“UWA’s vision is to deliver a world-class university student experience that is distinctive, inspiring, inclusive, opportunity-rich and student-centred,” she said.
“The Student Life directorate has recently consulted on a proposal for organisational change to ensure UWA’s student services continue to meet the contemporary needs of our diverse student community, while also enabling readiness for future student growth and future digital uplift.”
She said the directorate had considered feedback on the proposal and would announce the outcome to staff when ready.
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