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campusreview.com.au
Unis take on cyber threats
New cybersecurity network
headed by NSW universities.
S
even universities have been
selected to lead a cybersecurity
network recently announced by
the NSW government.
The $2 million project will see the
universities of Newcastle, Sydney, New
South Wales, Wollongong, Macquarie,
Western Sydney and UTS collaborate
to tackle digital challenges. This will
include identifying ways to improve
cybersecurity, training specialist graduates
for the cybersecurity workforce and
providing the industry with advice on
cybersecurity threats.
The minister for finance, services and
property, Victor Dominello, said the new
NSW Cyber Security Network would
complement the NSW government’s
Defence Innovation Network and the NSW
Smart Sensing Network.
“Cybersecurity is an evolving threat and
that’s why we’re partnering with some of the
country’s best and brightest researchers to
ensure systems within government and the
private sector are resilient and fit-for-purpose
‘Managers out of touch’
Survey shows university staff
scathing of government policy.
L
ess than 3 per cent of university staff
think federal policies are taking higher
education in the right direction, a new
survey has found.
The latest National Tertiary Education
Union (NTEU) State of the Uni survey
revealed that not only were staff concerned
about changes to the industry, but most
also felt there was a greater need for both
public investment and more staff and
student involvement in management.
4
Conducted shortly after the 2017 budget
decision to cut $2.8 billion in funding while
increasing student fees, the survey found
that about 2 per cent of staff supported the
changes, and an unprecedented number
(83.8 per cent) said that staff and students
had an important role to play on university
councils and senates.
The survey also recorded an increase
in high job satisfaction (73.2 per cent),
which was attributed mostly to positive
work relationships.
NTEU national president Jeannie Rea said
more than 15,000 university staff responded
to the survey, doubling the number of
participants from the previous year.
in 2018 and beyond,” Dominello said.
“This is also an opportunity to boost
our growing cybersecurity workforce
and promote the importance of STEM.
The global market for cyber protection is
forecast to be worth $170 billion by 2020,
and NSW is in a unique position to be a jobs
hub for this emerging sector.”
Professor Kevin Hall, University of
Newcastle senior deputy vice-chancellor
(research & innovation), said his institution
had a range of talent to bring to the network
via its Advanced Cyber Security Engineering
Research Centre (ACSRC).
“This network will facilitate access to, and
development of, multiple technologies,
applications, models and policies, vital to
tackling the current challenges in privacy
and security that Australia faces,” he said.
“We’re delighted to be able to call
upon our research strengths in this space
to contribute to such a high impact
collaboration between universities,
government and industry.”
The network will be chaired by Neville
Stevens, former Commonwealth public
servant and chair of the Cooperative
Research Centres Committee. ■
“Clearly staff are highly engaged in
their work and placing an increased value
on collegiate relationships, as well as
involvement in the decision making, change
management and governance processes of
their institutions,” she said.
“The unfortunate reality though is
that too often they are confronted with
out-of-touch senior managers and vice-
chancellors obsessing over the bottom
line and their brand, instead of the best
interests of students, the sector and the
increasingly casualised workforce.”
As well as expressing opposition to
funding cuts, staff also described the
higher education sector as stretched
to its limits, and were concerned
about maintaining quality education,
catering to vast increases in enrolments,
and dependence on international
student fees.
Respondents were also critical of
senior management, and only 16.6 per
cent agreed that executive staff members
received appropriate salaries.
At least 80 per cent believed universities
had become too corporate, while only
15.2 per cent said workplace change was
handled well at their institution. ■