University Workers Lose $159 Million in Stolen Wages

Wage Theft in Australian Universities

Australian university staff have collectively lost almost $159 million in stolen wages, according to research conducted by the National Tertiary Education Union. This means that more than 97,000 employees in the sector have been underpaid by a combined $158.7 million. The research also revealed that there were 55 wage-theft incidents across 32 higher education institutions, with most of them occurring since 2014.

Which Universities Are Affected?

The report highlighted that Melbourne University had underpaid employees the most, with $45 million of lost wages to more than 30,000 workers. The University of Wollongong and the University of Sydney were the next highest institutions on the list, with underpayments of $18 million and $14.7 million respectively.

The Full Picture

However, it’s important to note that the report may not capture the full extent of underpayment in the sector, as there are still eight wage theft cases ongoing in courts. This means that the actual numbers could be even higher.

The Impact of Wage Theft

Wage theft has a devastating impact on the lives of university staff. It can make it difficult for them to make ends meet, pay bills, or even force them to take on additional work. These figures are alarming and highlight the need for change.

Cracking Down on Wage Theft

The federal government is taking steps to address wage theft with new workplace laws. Under these laws, employers who deliberately underpay staff could face up to 10 years in prison. The laws have already passed the lower house and will be debated in the Senate in February.

The Role of Casualization

The level of wage theft in the university sector is largely driven by the widespread casualization of staff. Unaccountable vice-chancellors on million-dollar salaries have been in charge of this crisis with almost no accountability. To address this issue, we need to end the practice of casualization using state and federal powers, including funding.

Supporting University Staff

Universities Australia, the peak body representing universities, stands in support of employees in the sector. University staff have a fundamental right to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and we fully support efforts to ensure this is always the case.

After 44% Price Up, Is Byron Bay’s Property Blast Over?

Byron Bay’s property blast has started to dial back, as new figures show its pace of house cost development has split and specialists say costs could level or fall later in the year.

The local waterfront area of interest soar in prevalence when the pandemic hit Australian shores in March 2020 as home purchasers left the significant urban communities in large numbers for hotter environments, driving costs through the rooftop.

Subsequently, it reliably highlighted among the top regions for cost development, timing twofold digit acquires inside the principal months of the pandemic that dominated Sydney, and drawing in superstars and business big shots.

In any case, its quick development has reached a conclusion. Byron Bay committee region’s yearly house cost development arrived at a pinnacle of 44% in the March quarter and more than divided in the year to June to a still-sizeable 19.9 percent.

While that additional $10,000 to the middle house cost in the June quarter, taking it to a record $1.81 million, it was likewise the slowest yearly development rate since the pandemic hit, and specialists say it is a defining moment in Byron’s property blast because of increasing loan fees and the effect of floods.

Reasonableness is likewise extended, after the suburb of Byron Bay alone arrived at a middle house cost of $2,525,000. More reasonable regions beat the most recent territorial house cost association table, for example, the Murray River shire where costs bounced 49.1 percent in the year to June, to a middle $656,000.

The log jam corresponds with a push in the harvest time for laborers to get back to their CBD workplaces some portion of the week, after significant length of telecommuting that provoked a flood of families to consider an ocean change.

Space head of examination and financial matters Dr Nicola Powell said there had been an undeniable stoppage in Byron’s property market.

“What it shows is one, that the blast has facilitated, that has proceeded to pass, and two, individuals who have speculation properties, or local people, have chosen to sell out on the grounds that it has been a particularly worthwhile time during the pandemic,” Powell said.

“Byron Bay property is positively on the log jam. At the point when you take a gander at those provincial business sectors, Byron experienced exceptional development. It was outrageous cost development.

“We saw this blast of interest because of the pandemic and the outward departure of urban communities.”

This uncommon cost development additionally implied Byron’s real estate market was more powerless against cost declines, Powell said.

“One of those is a smidgen more defenseless against somewhat of a revision since we saw such a critical pace of development,” she said.

“We could see a pullback in cost because of the fast grade in costs as well as the harm to getting limit because of expansion in loan fees and expansion.”

Bryon Bay Real Estate Agency’s Liam Annesley said the locale encountered a lull sooner than different regions because of the two floods toward the beginning of the year.

“We encountered the stoppage sooner than most and that is a result of the floods that occurred nearby,” Annesley said.

The March quarter pinnacle would have caught settlements from deals in January and February, Annesley said, while the flood-prompted stoppage appeared in the June quarter figure.

Annesley said purchasers were additionally figuring the increasing cost for most everyday items and home loan reimbursements into their offers and anticipated that the market should level for something like a half year as they change.

“They are becoming acclimated to the words loan fee rises and are figuring it in,” he said.

“There will be a time of respite as they change their pay and costs. It’ll reach a place where it will level out for a period however past a half year you want a gem ball.”

Amir Mian, of Amir Mian Prestige – initially founded on the Gold Coast – said the market had crested, however it had not prevented him from opening a Byron office and handling solid purchaser interest.

“We’re novices to the area … I’m really flabbergasted by the degree of request. The top for sure has occurred, yet the consistent interest is there, yet there is very little available to be purchased,” he said.

Mian said purchasers were essentially from Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast and the market was changing from occasion homes to more proprietor occupier held lodging.

“We’re offering to end clients now. It was a place to get-away. The end-client market contort is an advantage to the district,” Mian said, adding that numerous dealers were from abroad, offloading occasion homes. “Holidaymakers have been supplanted by end clients.”

The two specialists said request and costs could get again in spring and summer as it was an exceptionally occasional market.

How to March Into a Real Estate Career

Operating in property is both satisfying as well as challenging. It is a job you can start at any kind of age or stage of your life and only calls for some professional training, a love of property and also strong social abilities. Real estate uses fantastic flexibility and also is a career where more effort you put into it, the more you get out of it.

 

There are many job titles to take in real estate, consisting of property sales as well as residential, commercial and rural industries. There are also chances in owing an agency, resident letting agent as well as auctioneering, which is growing in popularity right here in Queensland Australia.

 

If you want to march into a real estate career or change to a real estate career, there are a few important things to know before you start study a course.

 

The State Government regulates certifications for employment in the real estate sector and also, like Validum Insitute, has an passion to keep its courses higher than the standard, and most importantly it needs to meet RTO’s requirements .

 

To work as the real estate sale or property manager, all agents have to complete a real estate course and register a licence with Office of Fair Trading Queensland. Courses can be studied online or in-class, as long as students complete all the compulsory units and assessments of the course. If you reside in Gold Coast, you can pursue a sales or property management course in Surfers Paradise with an online institute.

 

A real estate salesman or residential or commercial property manager cannot run a real estate company, they have to work and under-supervise by a full licenced agent which could be a principle or director of a real estate firm. The requirements for a full real estate licence are much more different with saleperson or property management certificate. The full licence course is designed for someone who want to open their own agency or work separately under their own business.

 

In order to be an accredited agent you have to have finished a Queensland full licence course, which can be embarked on as a part-time program at Validum Institute Training. People can study the course at any other training centres as long as they are accredited.

 

It can be difficult to gain the important experience necessary to properly promote residential or commercial property transactions without some practical abilities, so effort to get some job experience with an established company as a starting point.

 

Realty is an interesting and also opportunistic sector to work in. If you’re thinking of starting an occupation in residential property in 2020, have a chat to a representative from Validum Real Estate Training or a local real estate professional.

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