Dear staff,
Now that the holiday season is almost upon us, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you, sincerely, for everything you have given to UQ throughout 2023. Please click on the image below to watch my end-of-year message.
Some brilliant news to end the year
Before I say a final farewell for the year, I do want to highlight some wonderful news we received on Tuesday, when the Federal Government announced it would contribute $87 million to the UQ-led Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre (ZNE-Ag CRC) over the coming decade. This is the largest financial contribution that the Government has ever made to a CRC.
The ZNE-Ag CRC is an initiative brokered by UQ and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Forestry that involves a consortium of 73 partners from across industry, education, and government.
The aim of the multi-stakeholder alliance is to help transition the $70 billion Australian agriculture sector to zero net emissions, while also helping to improve the competitiveness, productivity, and sustainability of the sector.
I’d like to congratulate Professor Matthew Morell, who is serving as the Interim CEO of the ZNE-Ag CRC, and the teams at QAAFI and Research Partnerships, for the important leadership role they played in developing this alliance and securing the government funding for this important initiative.
My congratulations also to Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (DVC, Indigenous Engagement) and Dr Tomasz Zajac (ISSR) and their colleagues on their successful grants from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education; and to Professor Ala Tabor (QAAFI) and Dr Md Masud Rana (AIBN) on their Australian Economic Accelerator Seed Grants.
Salary increases
I’m pleased to say the uplift of $1,500 to existing Enterprise Agreement salary scales was applied to the pay of eligible staff this week following the successful ballot for a new UQ Enterprise Agreement 2021-2026 (EA).
The proposed new EA has now been lodged with the Fair Work Commission and we are hoping for formal approval in January. Whilst the new EA is yet to be formally approved by the Commission, the University will administer the further 2% EA pay increase from the first available full pay period after 31 January 2024.
In addition, as I mentioned at the recent All Staff Forum, there will be an increase in the HDR stipend that will come into effect on 1 January 2024. The new annual stipend will be $33,641 (an increase of 4.5%, which is in line with current inflation).
Finally, I hope you have a safe, joyous, and fun-filled festive season surrounded by your loved ones – and I look forward to working with you all again in the New Year.
Best wishes
Debbie
