Federation University is denying claims it plans on making huge cut-backs to its Arts courses.
This comes a week after members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) were informed of an apparent decision to cut “up to 87 per cent” of its Arts offerings.
Staff at the Ballarat-based institution were reportedly called to a snap meeting last Monday, October 26th, with 10 minutes notice and told the cuts would be effective immediately.
After concerns were raised by NTEU delegates in the days after, staff were then told there had been a “miscommunication” and the cuts were not proceeding.
The union’s president of its FedUni branch, Dr Mathew Abbott is now seeking “an iron-clad guarantee” that similar cuts won’t be implemented in the future.
“It’s clear there is a longstanding desire to come after Arts – a core offering of any university,” Dr Abbott said in a statement.
“The emotional whiplash of what the university claims was a mistake is hard to describe for a workforce that is already at breaking point after endless rounds of major changes.”
The university was asked for a response to the NTEU’s claims, with a spokesperson providing our newsroom with the following response:
“Federation University is not cutting 87 per cent of its Arts offerings.
“The 87 per cent figure was based on 2025 data and intended to illustrate enrolment patterns across Bachelor of Arts units. It was never a figure for the number of subjects being cut.
“We recognise a recent discussion caused confusion and concern for some staff, and we have been transparent in correcting the information and apologising for how it was communicated.
“Like all universities, Federation reviews low-enrolment units every year to ensure what we offer responds to student demand and delivers a great university experience.
“A subject with just one or two students does not provide that experience.
“Reviewing units in this way is a normal and important part of running a university. In fact, it’s required under academic quality standards overseen by the Commonwealth regulator, TEQSA [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency].
“Federation is undertaking this work against significant financial pressure on regional universities and a Commonwealth policy environment that has made many humanities subjects considerably more expensive for students.
“The Job-ready Graduates policy has substantially increased student contributions for many humanities disciplines, putting additional pressure on demand for arts and humanities study, particularly in regional Australia.
“Despite these pressures, Arts remains an important part of Federation’s teaching offering. Our focus is on ensuring these offerings remain strong, sustainable and responsive to student needs.
“As has been communicated with staff, there are no job losses anticipated as a result of the unit planning process.”
