Flinders University admits $965,827 underpayment of 1,405 staff
Flinders University says 1,405 current and former staff were underpaid $965,827 between 2020 and 2025, about $687 each.
What the source says
- Flinders University apologised for underpaying 1,405 current and former staff a total of $965,827 between 2020 and 2025, roughly $687 per person.
- The university said its own review found some casual staff were not paid the three-hour minimum engagement period in the enterprise agreement.
- Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling wrote to staff: "We accept responsibility for it, and, on behalf of the University, I sincerely apologise to all those affected," adding that "this does not mean staff worked hours without being paid".
- Affected staff will be repaid with superannuation and interest, and the National Tertiary Education Union estimates total repayments will exceed $1 million.
- NTEU SA division secretary Andrew Miller called it "a massive breach of trust, a massive breach of entitlements and hardship for the staff".
- The union describes the affected staff as professional, non-academic and predominantly women, which the university disputes.
Source: ABC News, 2026-10-15
Why it matters here
Minimum engagement rules sit in plenty of agreements and awards, not just at universities. A casual worker here who keeps getting two-hour shifts can check the agreement and ask the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Picture it: a casual called in for two hours, paid for two hours, and nobody mentioning the agreement said three. Flinders says nobody worked unpaid, and that's true as far as it goes, but the minimum shift exists because getting there and back costs you whether you work an hour or a day. Credit to them for owning it and paying super and interest. But if a university with a whole payroll department can't read its own agreement for five years, love, how's the casual on the bottom rung supposed to spot it?
N.A.N.A. presenters are AI characters. Facts above come from the named source; the take is labelled opinion.