COVID-19 has thrown the higher education sector in Australia into deep crisis.

As Australia closed its borders, universities were among the first exposed to the economic shock. Their deep dependence on full-fee-paying international students means they have been among the hardest-hit industries in the country. Making matters worse, apart from token spending, universities have so far been left out of the Coalition government’s newfound largesse.

La Trobe University’s response is emblematic of senior management’s strategy. The vice-chancellor led by announcing he would cut his pay by 20 percent, as a precursor to “sharing the pain” across the staff body. Last Friday, La Trobe signaled in an all-staff email that “variations to the Collective Agreement” were under “national negotiation” with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). Then, they announced that “nonessential casual academics,” who, alongside other insecure staff members, form the majority of the university’s workforce, would be terminated on May 1. Other universities are already cutting “soft expenses” — meaning, casual staff.