Just over a month into his job running the University of Canberra, Bill Shorten has set a goal to drag its troubled budget out of the red and into the black next year.
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00:00Bill Shorten, welcome to Stateline. I acknowledge it's still early days for you in this new
00:08role, but can you elaborate for us a little on the rejuvenation project that you've flagged
00:14here. Any early breakthroughs?
00:16It's early days. It's a fantastic job. I'm very privileged to work at the University
00:19of Canberra with such amazing staff and students. I think the University of Canberra's got a
00:25bright future. It's doing a lot of impactful research and some really quality teaching.
00:30So I think rejuvenation's very much on the cards.
00:33Let's talk about financial woes. You've explained recently, publicly, that there was a $30 million
00:39deficit caused in large measure by overestimations of enrolments in 2024. What are your estimates
00:47for this year and are they in line with enrolments so far?
00:52First of all, we've had good growth. The census figures were signed off last Friday. I haven't
00:58seen the final figures, but the University's growing, which is good. This year round, I
01:02think our forecasts of growth will be met. We operate on a financial year, so how we
01:08go in financial year 2025, I'll let you know next year. But the signs are positive. Whether
01:14or not we bridge the whole operating deficit in one year, that's a big call, but I'm confident
01:19that we will be significantly improved on the financial outcomes from last year.
01:25Right, so something considerably less than $30 million.
01:27Yeah, that's right.
01:29And by when would you aim to turn that into the positive?
01:33I'd like us to be positive sometime in 2026. Our balance sheet's fine, but I want to make
01:37sure that we're getting close to a surplus in the next 12 to 18 months, perhaps 24.
01:43Okay, so just to update us on the redundancy program, the total number on the voluntary
01:50side I think is 136. That's where the heavy lifting is being done. Where are you up to
01:57against that number?
01:58The process which was started late last year has seen 120 professional staff positions
02:04disestablished. In other words, we're going to run leaner, and about 70 academic staff.
02:10We'll see if that goes far enough. I don't want to see any more forced redundancies.
02:15We're getting, I think, to the place we need to be to have a sustainable ongoing budget,
02:21but there's still a little bit more to come, and we're trying to do that as promptly but
02:26as fairly as we can.
02:27I know you've said in relation to the previous administration you don't want to be the University
02:32of Canberra's historian, but I'm sure you've been briefed on aspects of it that have not
02:38been publicly explained, like the decision to pay out that former Vice-Chancellor Nixon
02:45in circumstances where that may not have been legally necessary. We don't know the answer
02:50to that. Do you commit to giving a public account of what went on in that era at some
02:56stage when your knowledge is well established?
03:00First of all, since I've come in I've worked closely with the University Council. They
03:05do enjoy my confidence. I can't speak to everything that's happened or whatever negotiations
03:10or confidential matters were dealt with before my time. As we both know, I'm a veteran of
03:15politics and sometimes incoming governments will try and blame their predecessors for
03:20all the woes of the world. I don't want to do that here. I think people want me to be
03:25a positive leader and that's what I'll do.
03:27I understand that. Is your team cooperating fully with the ACT Integrity Commission on
03:32any of these matters?
03:34When it comes to any of our governance reviews, I know that our team are being very professional.
03:39We're launching our own corporate governance review. We've got Professor Ian Chubb who's
03:44just about run everything to do with universities in Australia. I want to do my own due diligence
03:48to make sure that everything is operating as it should be.
03:51Bill, let's broaden out our conversation a little. None of us can outrun our past and
03:57there is a significant electoral event coming up. I'm wondering if you've transferred your
04:02ALP membership to a Canberra branch, whether you intend to participate in any sense in
04:08the campaign, be that at booths or with candidates?
04:11I'm a life member of the Labor Party and there's only one way I could leave that. No, my job
04:19here is to represent the University of Canberra. That's my new team. That's who I've picked.
04:23What about being an advocate for Canberrans more broadly defined? Well away from the gates
04:29of this campus, will you speak up for Canberra which, let's face it, is going to become an
04:35issue in this election campaign too?
04:38Yes, well that's a slightly different question. When it comes to speaking up for Canberra,
04:42the test I will apply is what's in the best interest of students, staff and their families
04:47and the Canberra community. So I will use my role within the life of Canberra as the
04:52Vice-Chancellor of Canberra's University. If Canberrans aren't getting a fair deal or
04:57if our students or their families aren't getting a fair deal, you'll hear more from
05:01me because I might be Canberra's newest recruit, but I'm certainly one of its most enthusiastic
05:06supporters.
05:07You've spoken a bit like a potential Chief Minister.
05:09Oh my God, no.
05:11You're slowly settling into this job. It is, as we acknowledged at the outset, early days,
05:16but we hope to stay in touch regularly. Bill Shorten, thank you.
05:18I look forward to it.