Campus Review Vol 30. Issue 01 | January 2020 | Page 4

news Associate Professor Gerd Schroeder-Turk. Photo: Colin Murty/The Australian Murdoch Uni backs down University drops financial claim against whistleblower. M urdoch University has dropped a financial claim against employee and whistleblower Gerd Schroeder-Turk, filed after he spoke out about Murdoch’s admission standards for international students on the ABC’s Four Corners program. Schroeder-Turk was one of a number of academics who appeared on the program Strongholds in crises Bushfires in Gippsland, Vic. Picture: Alan Barber Universities support communities ravaged by fires. U niversities are not only a place of learning, they also play a pivotal role in keeping towns and cities strong and connected during catastrophic events like the bushfires of the last two months. “University communities across Australia have responded powerfully to bushfires of unprecedented scale and impact in recent days, weeks and months – utilising facilities, expertise and resources to support local 2 campusreview.com.au to voice concern about the number of students Australian universities were accepting into courses who did not have the requisite English or subject matter knowledge to be successful. After his appearance, the associate professor pursued legal action in the Federal Court to stop Murdoch from revoking his position on the university’s senate. The university counter-sued for millions of dollars in damages but have now abandoned the claim. Schroeder-Turk said he was relieved by the university’s decision to withdraw the financial component of the counterclaim. He said it had caused him and his family “a great deal of unnecessary stress”. “I have always acted in the best interest of the university, its students and its staff, and have done so in very difficult circumstances,” he said. “However, my concerns about the welfare of students remain. “‘Those who are strong enough to assert their rights have a responsibility to protect others, especially those who are dependent on them’. This is a quote from Murdoch University’s code of ethics, and I attempt to live up to this expectation in everything I do.” Schroeder-Turk’s lawyer, Josh Bornstein, said the legal claim was baseless. “It should never have been pursued in the first place. Murdoch University’s claim for millions of dollars in damages was an unprecedented attack on a whistleblower in this country. “The university clearly intended to try and frighten my client and any other staff member wanting to speak up about maladministration,” he said. Murdoch University said the decision to take legal action was about whether Schroder-Turk’s actions breached his duties as a member of the senate. “Associate Professor Schroder-Turk’s legal action and the university’s subsequent defence is not and has never been about academic freedom. It is simply about senate governance.” The National Tertiary Education Union said despite withdrawing the financial claim, Murdoch was still pursuing efforts to remove Schroder-Turk from the senate. NTEU president Dr Alison Barnes said: “The associate professor is the academic staff member elected by his peers to be a member of the university senate.”  ■ residents, emergency authorities, students and staff,” Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said. “Universities are deeply embedded parts of the communities we serve. Examples of how universities are assisting include opening student accommodation facilities for evacuees and firefighters. “We estimate beds in the hundreds, possibly thousands, have been offered in response to the crisis. “On-campus vet clinics are providing accommodation and clinical support for animals – both evacuated and injured. “Universities are making available their facilities for local emergency response coordinators, including meeting rooms and car parking,” she said. “Several universities have established scholarships to ensure those impacted by bushfires have a better chance of commencing, and completing, their studies.” Jackson added that affected universities are also supporting their students by extending assignment deadlines, providing financial and counselling support, and in some cases, replacing damaged study materials such as laptops, computers and uniforms for students. University staff who are fighting the fires are also being granted paid leave in some cases, as well as receiving access to personal leave, emergency financial support and counselling. “Universities know that the impact of these fires will extend well beyond the immediate threat – and have taken a wide range of actions to ensure student and staff and community support in the short, medium and longer term,” Jackson said. “Universities continue to liaise closely with local authorities and their communities, and will consider additional ways to provide support to them as the bushfire threat evolves.” Jackson also said that many universities will be using a range of ways to communicate with their students regarding how they might be affected by the fires. “Students preparing to come to Australia to study should contact their university if they have any specific queries or concerns,” she said. “Students currently in Australia should reach out to university support services if they feel distressed or anxious about the current bushfire situation.”  ■