Have Your Say

TRANSCRIPT: ABC RIVERINA BREAKFAST INTERVIEW WITH SALLY BRYANT, 30 JUNE 2025 

30 June 2025

Subjects: Charles Sturt University job cuts 

E&OE  

STARTS: 7:25am 

ENDS: 7:32am 

 

Sally BRYANT 

As you’ve been hearing in news this morning, there are concerns about the far-reaching consequences of job cuts at Charles Sturt University. The university is planning a reduction in staff numbers as part of a plan to save $35 million by 2027. Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack is joining me this morning. Mr McCormack, good morning.  

 

Michael McCORMACK 

Good morning, Sally. But it’s not a good morning for CSU staff or the students. This is troubling news.  

 

Sally BRYANT 

So, from your understanding what are the roles and positions that are going to be cut in this move?  

 

Michael McCORMACK 

That hasn’t been decided. But the trouble is it’s always the people who the CSU will most need to continue to the delivery of tertiary education to regional students. CSU has been a great provider. The fact that people can graduate from CSU and get a job straight off. CSU has won that award eight years in a row for being able to place students into jobs straight off their degree. And this is something that CSU should be very proud of. It’s a great regional university.  

 

Sally BRYANT 

So, what impact do we think that that’s going to have on research and teaching, the loss of those jobs?  

 

Michael McCORMACK 

It will have a huge impact. And I’ve called on the Government, which has talked a lot about the Australian Universities Accord for funding equity students and supporting regional universities. Now is the time for action. The Government does need to step in and to ensure that the viability of regional universities is sustainable. Whether that’s ring fencing the international students, I appreciate that the CSU has said that that is a major factor, or a needs-based funding model for domestic students. All of these things are going to be critical to the ongoing support of CSU and other regional universities as well. We just can’t have the sandstone universities in metropolitan cities providing the educational needs, particularly of country students who find it very difficult financially to go to Sydney or Melbourne universities and not have to flip burgers and do all those sorts of things just to get themselves through, because of the cost of housing, because of the cost of living. This is a vital time for country students.  

 

Sally BRYANT 

We are hearing that the move is a cost-cutting effort. Universities are like other institutions. They have to function within budgetary constraints. I think we’re hearing that universities generally are doing it tough for a variety of reasons.  So, is there a simple solution to this?  

 

Michael McCORMACK 

They’ll have to tighten their belts, they’ll have to review right across the board about where they can make savings without having such an impact upon the front-line education of students. Now, I know in government, The Coalition set up a network of regional university centres, the Country Universities Centre through Duncan Taylor. We put an additional $800 million in funding into regional universities. We set up a scholarship program for rural students. We invested in research specific programs targeting regional universities. These sorts of things haven’t all been continued, and the investment and the funding has not continued into regional universities. It has to. That’s why Education Minister Jason Clare has to come out this week and let us know what he’s going to do for regional universities. They’re too vital to let regional universities suffer like this.  

 

Sally BRYANT 

So what sort of suggestions would you make as to ways to keep that regional university sector viable? 

 

Michael McCORMACK 

More funding, regional ring fencing of international students whose courses do to help pay for all the domestic needs and demands of regional universities. A needs-based funding model for domestic students. I happen to agree with CSU, the current one size fits all model just doesn’t account for the high costs of delivering education across dispersed campuses in country areas. 

 

Sally BRYANT 

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with this. How hopeful are you that you might get a positive result?  

 

Michael McCORMACK 

Well this Labor Government, without wanting to be too political, hasn’t shown a great desire to help regional Australia. They’ve cut infrastructure funding and now our regional universities our now withering on the vine. It has to show that it’s serious about regional Australia because it’s regional Australia that puts food and fibre on the tables and on the backs of Australians. It’s regional Australia that carries the resources sector to help our balance of payments and it’s regional universities as well. You only have to look at what the CSU model does in the space of veterinary care. Many of those students go to capital cities, but a lot of them stay in the regions, but they look after everything from mice to heavy animals, and everything in between, all sorts of things. 

 

Sally BRYANT 

So there is a need Mr McCormack. We are running out of time, so I have to leave it there. I really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much. Member for Riverina Michael McCormack there, talking about his concerns about the budgetary constraints causing this cut of staff numbers. It’s part of a plan to save $35 million by 2027. 

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