Quackademia: A Personal Reflection on the Prevalence of Insecure Employment in Australian Universities

Paper


Cantrell, Kate. 2019. "Quackademia: A Personal Reflection on the Prevalence of Insecure Employment in Australian Universities." 24th Australasian Association of Writing Programs Conference (AAWP 2019). Sydney, Australia 25 - 27 Nov 2019 Australia.
Paper/Presentation Title

Quackademia: A Personal Reflection on the Prevalence of Insecure Employment in Australian Universities

Presentation TypePaper
Authors
AuthorCantrell, Kate
ERA Conference ID77180
Number of Pages1
Year2019
Place of PublicationAustralia
Web Address (URL) of Paperhttps://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2019-11/AAWP-Conference-Program-2019-Digital.pdf
Conference/Event24th Australasian Association of Writing Programs Conference (AAWP 2019)
Conference of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs
Event Details
24th Australasian Association of Writing Programs Conference (AAWP 2019)
Event Date
25 to end of 27 Nov 2019
Event Location
Sydney, Australia
Event Details
Conference of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs
Abstract

In August last year, the NTEU reported that two in three people employed by Australian universities do not have secure employment. In April this year, The Conversation published an article about the ‘benefits and challenges’ of employing casual academics. The authors of the article advocate for university administration to manage their casual staff more equitably and effectively, and to offer more permanent positions. At the same time, however, the article suggests that casual staff ‘pose risks’ to student satisfaction and the quality of the student learning experience. In response to backlash on Twitter and to a shared push by several academics to publish a rejoinder to the article, The Conversation cited their ‘no response’ policy and encouraged readers to reply to the article in the comments section instead: a move at odds with the publication’s mandate to facilitate conversation and add to debate. This paper turns a critical eye to The Conversation’s charter and shares anecdotal evidence of some of the outlet’s questionable publishing codes and practices. These stories are garnered from the experiences of several arts and humanities academics who publish – or attempt to publish – with the media outlet. The paper offers insights into the problems instigated and exacerbated by the process of casualisation.

Keywordsthe academic precariat; higher education; creative writing; creative arts; casualisation
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360201. Creative writing (incl. scriptwriting)
390303. Higher education
Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Southern Queensland
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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