Dear staff,
Earlier this week, I hosted the second All Staff Forum for the year. It was a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our people and provide updates from across UQ. It was also an opportunity to share some important staff updates and to answer a range of excellent questions.
A recording of the event is available for those who may have missed it.
Staff pay increases
As discussions on our Enterprise Agreement (EA) are ongoing, we will give staff an interim pay increase in recognition of cost-of-living pressures. Further pay increases will continue to be a key focus of our ongoing EA discussions.
Staff will receive a pay increase of 3 per cent effective from 5 December, appearing in the 16 December pay cycle. This is in addition to the 2 per cent increase that took effect in January 2022.
From 1 January 2023, our full time PhD stipend will also increase from $28,863 to $32,192 per annum.
Enterprise Agreement discussions
We had hoped to have a new agreement, with greater clarity on pay commitments, for staff to consider this year. Ensuring fair pay for staff and job security is at the core of these discussions.
I want to acknowledge the work being done by UQ – led by the Provost Professor Aidan Byrne and the Chief Human Resources Officer Al Jury – and the union representative groups. Initial discussions commenced last year, with 14 meetings held since then. These discussions have become more substantial since July, and we remain resolute in our commitment to finalising a new EA.
Announcing the Frazer Institute
Last night, we announced that our UQ Diamantina Institute will be renamed the Frazer Institute in recognition of Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer’s outstanding service and achievements over the past 30 years.
The announcement was made at the annual Dr Jian Zhou Oration, named in honour of Ian’s late research partner. Together, they invented a HPV vaccine which has protected millions from cervical cancer.
Ian’s numerous accolades include being named Australian of the Year in 2006 and being awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science in 2008.
Ian and Caroline Frazer chaired UQ’s landmark ‘Not if, When. The Campaign to Create Change’ from 2017 to 2020, helping to raise $607 million to support students, teaching and research, and they will continue their philanthropic work through the Frazer Family Trust.
Perhaps one of Ian and Jian’s greatest Iegacies is their contribution to training a new generation of scientists, including 42 PhD students and about 20 postdocs. Ian will continue to supervise 2 final PhD candidates until they complete their training. He also continues to have appointments on a number of advisory boards and research organisations.
On behalf of everyone at the University, I extend our best wishes to Ian, Caroline, their children and grandchildren for some well-deserved family time and travels. Thank you for your generosity over so many years and for providing such an inspiring example for us all.
Awards and appointments
I would like to congratulate Professor Susan Rowland who has accepted the Vice-Provost role at The University of Sydney starting in February 2023. Since joining UQ in 2007, Susan has held a number of roles and is currently Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning).
Susan has made a significant contribution during her time at UQ. More recently, she has taken carriage of critical projects around the Sense of Belonging and Graduate Attributes initiatives and the Evaluation of Course and Teaching Policy Review.
I would also like to congratulate the winners of the 2022 Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Learning announced last week during Teaching and Learning Week. The event celebrates the quality of our staff supporting teaching and recognises their enormous efforts, particularly over the past 3 years, to deliver innovative learning experiences for our students.
This week, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia announced its newly elected fellows. My congratulations to Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy and Professor Brad Sherman on this very significant recognition of their contributions to the social sciences and public policy.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Best wishes
Debbie
