• Melissa Gregg
• New Matilda

Image: Istockphoto l Pali Rao

26 November 2009With up to half of all teaching now done by casually employed staff with little institutional support, Australian universities are facing an unprecedented crisis, writes Melissa Gregg in New Matilda

So often the perception of university life in Australia is a cosy existence involving luxurious philosophical debates, long holidays and international sabbaticals.

The reality is far less glamorous.

The past 10 years has seen an escalation of requirements for entry-level jobs so great that starting positions aren't even advertised. The over-supply of PhD graduates has made competition so fierce for tenured positions that casual contracts have replaced ongoing junior positions. Our best graduates, fresh from the biggest challenge higher education can throw at them, face their most energetic years vying for the privilege of this state of insecurity.

As the system currently stands, junior scholars are asked to prove their worth to universities in ways that those hiring them never had to. The heads of search committees today didn't even need a PhD to start their career, yet devise intricate formulae for assessing the accomplishments of those seeking to follow their example.

A book, multiple journal articles and a history of grant funding is now usually necessary on top of a completed dissertation to make a shortlist after graduating. How is it possible to achieve any of these things, when handing in a thesis also means handing in any claim for library access, desk space or institutional support? The industry has divested the responsibility of training their smartest students to a level where they can gain access to sustainable long-term employment.

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