This report outlines new data showing confirmed underpayments to university staff are now standing at more than $203 million in recent years.

Additionally, universities’ annual reports reveal a further $168 million has been set aside to repay workers for suspected wage theft incidents.

In this third edition of NTEU’s periodic wage theft report series, annual report provisions have been included for the first time. Provisions are amounts that universities have set aside on their balance sheets to cover future projected payments required to rectify historical underpayments. These amounts are generally estimates and may be revised as audits continue.

Key findings:

• $203 million in confirmed underpayments of staff that have occurred at 30 Australian public universities.
• $10 million in estimated underpayments occurring at one institutions that has confirmed systemic underpayments, but has concealed the dollar amount.
• $168 million in provisions for underpayments that have been recorded by 9 universities in their recently released annual reports.