Vice-Chancellor Bruce Dowton, Macquarie University

Minister for Education Steve Whan, Department of Education

Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman, Australian Human Rights Commission

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody, Australian Human Rights Commission

We, the undersigned university researchers, educators, students and professional staff, condemn Macquarie University’s recent redundancy decisions as a blatant manifestation of institutional racism and sexism.

The redundancies disproportionately harm women, people of colour, and particularly women of colour. Likewise, Union members were over-represented amongst those selected for redundancy, and unionised disciplines within the university were disproportionately targeted in the spill and fill process.

Macquarie’s actions contravene key anti-discrimination legislation, including the federal Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), implementing the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), addressing sex-based discrimination, including in employment and education. Additionally, they violate the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW), which prohibits racial and sex discrimination in employment, education, and the provision of services. Macquarie’s decisions appear to breach these laws by failing to ensure fair, non-discriminatory selection processes, with clear evidence of adverse impacts on protected groups.

This intersectional discrimination not only violates core Australian anti-discrimination laws but also erodes the foundational principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion that universities must uphold. We demand immediate and concrete action to rectify this injustice, including the reinstatement of all redundantly dismissed staff and an independent external investigation into the university’s discriminatory practices.

Macquarie University’s 2025 restructures, including forced redundancies of 9 academic positions in the Faculty of Arts alongside approximately 47 voluntary redundancies, have inflicted devastating gendered and racial harms. Recent data reveals that seven women and two men were given forced redundancies the School of International Studies, the School of Communication, Society and Culture, and the School of Education. This has left entire areas of study with severe under-representation of women. For example, in Politics and International Relations, Macquarie retained only one woman and five men. In the discipline of Sociology, women comprised a minority of 4 of 14 staff pre-redundancies – a number that was already gender biased following an earlier round of VRs and retirements of women in 2021. Post 2025 redundancies only one woman was retained alongside five male academics.

Macquarie disproportionately targeted women, people of colour, and people with disabilities. In addition to making redundant mostly women, every person of colour in Sociology has either been made redundant or pushed into teaching and learning positions; three of the four scholars in the Faculty of Arts pushed into teaching-only positions were people of colour and two Arab Middle Eastern women were made redundant. While collecting statistics on the number of staff with a disability, chronic illness, or neurodiversities is challenging, to the best of our knowledge less than 20% of staff are made up of this cohort, yet over 40% of this group was made redundant, making them startlingly over-represented.

The implications are profound and far-reaching. Macquarie’s decisions hollow out humanities disciplines such as ancient history, archaeology, creative arts, politics, international relations, and sociology, where diverse scholars, including those from racialised backgrounds, produce critical knowledge on equity, social justice, and cultural representation. Macquarie is impoverishing the research landscape, stifling innovative knowledge production on intersectional issues like colonialism, gender dynamics, and racial justice. Teaching suffers as course offerings are slashed – nearly a third of Arts subjects will vanish by 2026 – denying students diverse perspectives and perpetuating monocultural curricula. This is most starkly obvious in the cancellation of the gender studies major and all its units, and specialist units focused on diversity and racism.

Service to the wider community is equally undermined, as affected staff often lead outreach on anti-racism and gender equity, leaving vulnerable groups without vital support. This is not mere restructuring for financial stability. Internal university documents and modelling (as reported by the National Tertiary Education Union based on university planning) reveal that Macquarie’s leadership rejected viable alternatives to redundancies. These options would have achieved the $55 million savings target without any job losses, yet the executive opted for forced cuts, including 18 imminent terminations (see NTEU coverage here). This was not an unavoidable fiscal crisis but a deliberate choice, suggesting targeted discrimination against marginalised staff in vulnerable disciplines. Such recklessness prioritises short-term efficiency over human rights, violating enterprise agreement commitments to reduce casualisation and ensure fair change management.

Macquarie’s failures are symptomatic of entrenched racism across the sector, as evidenced by the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Racism@Uni interim report (December 2024) and other reports (see here, here, and here), which documents pervasive interpersonal and structural racism in universities, with disproportionate harms to First Nations peoples, African and Asian staff/students (who face severe exclusion and self-censorship), and a surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia. These reports demand national-level intervention: Macquarie’s actions exemplify the racism pandemic in universities, undermining Australia’s commitments under international human rights treaties.

We refuse to accept racism and misogyny in our universities. To restore justice and prevent further harm, we call for:

1. Immediate Reinstatement: All redundantly dismissed staff, particularly women and people of colour, must be reinstated with backpay and protections against retaliation. Voluntary redundancies should be reviewed for coercion.
2. External Independent Investigation: Launch a full probe into racism and misogyny at Macquarie, led by the Australian Human Rights Commission, with public reporting on intersectional impacts. This must include auditing selection criteria, redeployment processes, and leadership accountability.
3. Ministerial Intervention: Minister for Education, we urge you to act at federal and state (NSW) levels under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) and NSW oversight mechanisms. Withhold funding until compliance with anti-discrimination laws is verified, and mandate sector-wide equity audits.
4. Commissioners’ Leadership: Race and Sex Discrimination Commissioners, investigate Macquarie under your statutory powers, pursue conciliation or litigation if needed, and integrate findings into the Racism@Uni final report (due December 2025). Collaborate with the Islamophobia Envoy and Register to address anti-Arab and anti-Muslim dimensions.

Failure to act swiftly will signal complicity in perpetuating institutional discrimination.

Yours sincerely,

1. Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, Future Fellow, Macquarie University
2. Dr Jordana Silverstein, Future Fellow, University of Melbourne
3. Dr Elizabeth Strakosch, Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
4. Dr Natalie Ironfield, Indigenous Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
5. Dr Wajeehah Aayeshah, Lecturer, University of Melbourne
6. Dr Andrew Brooks, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
7. Dr Elliot Dolan-Evans, Lecturer, Monash University
8. Dr Giles Fielke, Lecturer, History of Ideas, University of Melbourne
9. Dr Beth Marsden, University of Melbourne
10. Alice Wighton, PhD candidate, University of Melbourne
11. Dr Scheherazade Bloul, Deakin University
12. Dr Madeleine Antonellos, Academic Staff, University of Melbourne
13. Dr Micaela Sahhar, Lecturer, RMIT University
14. Dr Ben Silverstein, ANU
15. Dr Lina Koleilat, Australian National University
16. Dr Nathan Gardner Molina, Research Associate, University of Melbourne
17. Professor Sujatha Fernandes, Professor of Sociology, University of Sydney
18. Dr Antonina Gentile, Sessional Lecturer/Tutor, University of Sydney
19. Dr Natalia Maystorovich Chulio, Teaching Fellow, University of New South Wales
20. Mr Tyrin Tutaki, Research Assistant, University of Otago
21. Robin Eames, PhD candidate, University of Sydney
22. Dr Finola Laughren, Sessional Academic, University of Sydney
23. Dr Weiyi Hu, University of Sydney
24. Dr Greta Werner, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Sydney
25. Professor Michael Richardson, UNSW
26. Professor Clare Wright, Professor of History & Professor of Public Engagement, La Trobe University
27. Gabriel Curtin, Sessional academic / phd candidate, University of New South Wales
28. Dr Lana Tatour, Senior lecturer in global development, UNSW
29. Dr Joseph van Buuren, Lecturer, RMIT University
30. Katherine Newman, UNSW
31. Professor Mark Gibson, Professor of Media, RMIT University
32. Dr Astrid Lorange, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
33. Dr Sasha Wilmoth, Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Melbourne
34. Dr Naama Carlin, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
35. Dr Noam Peleg, Associate Professor, UNSW
36. Dr Naama Blatman, UNSW
37. Assoc Prof Paul McKechnie, Associate Professor (CoRE) in Ancient Cultures, Macquarie University
38. Associate Professor Sukhmani Khorana, UNSW
39. Dr Nick Riemer, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
40. Dr Adil Hasan Khan, Senior Research Associate, University of Melbourne
41. Dr Sahiba Maqbool, Lecturer, La Trobe University
42. Dr Saika Sabir, La Trobe University
43. Dr Kemal Kurniawan, Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
44. An Nguyen, Sessional academic staff, Macquarie University
45. Dr Robert Austin Henry, Historian, NTEU (foundation member)
46. Viviana Canibilo Ramírez, Independent researcher
47. Natalia Figueroa Barroso, Writer, Sweatshop
48. Professor David Blaazer, Professor of History, UNSW
49. Mr Haris Jamil, PhD student, University of Melbourne
50. Ms Angela O’Keeffe, Author
51. John Curtin Distinguished Professor Emerita Suvendrini Perera, Curtin University
52. Dr Erica Millar, Senior Lecturer, La Trobe University
53. Professor Joseph Pugliese, Independent Scholar
54. Associate Professor Catherine Kevin, Australian History, Flinders University
55. Associate Professor Sophie Rudolph, University of Melbourne
56. Dr Anastasia Murney, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of New South Wales
57. Assoc. Prof. Niamh Stephenson, UNSW
58. Dr Roanna Gonsalves, Senior Lecturer, University of New South Wales
59. June Miskell, Sessional Academic and PhD Candidate, University of New South Wales
60. Dr Shanil Samarakoon, Senior Research Fellow, University of New South Wales
61. Associate Professor Maria Giannacopoulos, Director Centre for Criminology Law and Justice, Faculty of Law and Justice, University of New South Wales
62. Professor Ben Golder, Director of Postgraduate Research, Faculty of Law and Justice, University of New South Wales
63. Dr Elisabeth Kramer, Senior Lecturer, University of New South Wales
64. Emeritus Professor Barbara Baird AM, Flinders University
65. Tanvee Nandan, University of Melbourne
66. Dr Caitlin Murphy, RMIT
67. Sonia Qadir, Postdoc Research Fellow, UNSW
68. Associate Professor Zora Simic, UNSW
69. Professor Chris Cunneen, Professor of Criminology, University of Technology Sydney
70. Associate Professor Emma Russell, La Trobe University
71. Dr Simone Rowe, Lecturer, Australian Catholic University
72. Dr Vicky Nagy, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University Of Tasmania
73. Professor Elena Marchetti, Griffith University
74. Professor Murray Lee, Professor in Criminology, University of Sydney
75. Associate Professor Vicki Sentas, Faculty of Law and Justice
76. Dr Charlotte Mertens, Lecturer Criminology, University of Melbourne
77. Dr Caitlin Biddolph, Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
78. Dr Kamilia Al-Eriani, University of Melbourne
79. Dr Rhiannon Bandiera, Lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland
80. Dr George Dertadian, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
81. Dr Lara Palombo, Associate Lecturer, Macquarie University
82. Ms Rebekah Bowling, Lecturer in Criminology, Victoria University of Wellington
83. Dr Georgia van Toorn, Lecturer, UNSW
84. Associate Professor Monika Barthwal-Datta, UNSW Sydney
85. Dr Megan McElhone, Lecturer, Monash University
86. Professor Thalia Anthony, Faculty of Law, UTS
87. Dr Daniel McLoughlin, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
88. Dr Rusaila Bazlamit, Lecturer in Digital Design, RMIT
89. Dr Peta Malins, RMIT University
90. Professor Marinella Marmo, Flinders University
91. Dr Bree Carlton, Associate Professor Criminology, University of Melbourne
92. Dr Laresa Kosloff, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University
93. Dr Angela Smith, Lecturer, UNSW
94. Dr Priya Kunjan, RMIT University
95. Professor Libby Porter, RMIT University
96. Dr Stephen Pascoe, Lecturer, UNSW
97. Ms Thao Nguyen, RMIT University
98. Dr Kate Saxton, Senior Lecturer, UniSQ
99. Dr Dave McDonald, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Melbourne
100. Dr Ti Lamusse, National President-Tiriti of the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union/Lecturer in Criminology, NZ Tertiary Education Union/Victoria University of Wellington
101. Carmen Reid, Casual lecturer, RMIT University
102. Professor Michael Mcdonnell, Chair and Professor, History, University of Sydney
103. Dr Chelsea van Deventer, Lecturer, UNSW
104. Dr David Kelly, RMIT University
105. Dr Ryan Al-Natour, Charles Sturt University
106. Dr Martin Clark, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Law School
107. Professor Scott Poynting, Adjunct, QUT
108. Dr Tessa Cunningham, Lecturer, Flinders University
109. Dr Crystal McKinnon, Associate Professor in History, Law and Justice, University of Melbourne
110. Dr Jessica Marian, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
111. Dr Christopher O’Neill, Lecturer, Monash University
112. Dr Emily Cachia, sessional academic, Macquarie University
113. Dr Fiona Hutton, Associate Professor, Criminology, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University
114. Assoc. Prof Michael Griffiths, Associate Professor, Literature, University of Wollongong
115. Associate Professor Alison Holland, Macquarie University
116. Dr James Findlay, Lecturer, The University of Sydney
117. Dr Natalie Osborne, Senior Lecturer, Griffith University
118. A/Prof Sara C Motta, A/Prof in Politics, University of Newcastle
119. Mr Greg Murrie, University of Sydney
120. Ahmad Shboul, University of Sydney
121. Dr Gerald Roche, Lecturer in Linguistics, La Trobe University
122. Emeritus Professor Ken Gelder, University of Melbourne
123. Dr Prudence Flowers, Senior Lecturer, Flinders University
124. Associate Professor Gwenda Tavan, Honorary Adjunct, La Trobe
125. Associate Prof. Padraic Gibson, Jumbunna Research, UTS
126. Dr Jonathan Dunk, Lecturer, Writing & Literature, Deakin University
127. Professor Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, Adjunct Research Professor, Monash Affiliate
128. Emeritus Professor Meaghan Morris, University of Sydney
129. Associate Professor Honni van Rijswijk, Faculty of Law, UTS
130. Mr John Ebel, Psychoanalyst, University of Melbourne
131. Ruby Wawn, UTS
132. Associate Professor Hannah Forsyth, Adjunct Associate Professor, UNE
133. Dr Effie Karageorgos, Senior Lecturer in History, The University of Newcastle
134. Associate Professor Diana Jefferies, Head of Discipline- Master of Nursing Practice, Western Sydney University
135. Dr Melissa Hardie, University of Sydney
136. Dr Toby Fitch, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Sydney
137. Dr Harry Feldman, Retired
138. Dr Christina Kenny, Senior Lecturer, University of New England
139. Dr Kit Candlin, Senior lecturer, University of Newcastle
140. Dr Yvette Watt, Senior Lecturer (retired), UTAS
141. Professor Kath Albury, Professor, Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology
142. Associate Professor Claire Lowrie, Academic, University of Wollongong
143. Dr Natalie Hendry, University of Melbourne
144. Dr David Brophy, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
145. Dr Safdar Ahmed, PhD alumni and former part time academic in Dept of Arabic and Islamic studies, University of Sydney
146. Dr Sophie Loy-Wilson, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
147. Associate Professor Amanda Laugesen, ANU
148. Dr Rachel Rowe, UNSW
149. Dr Kristine Aquino, Senior Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney
150. Dr Andrew Clarke, Senior Lecturer, UNSW
151. Assoc Prof Christina Ho, University of Technology Sydney
152. Dr Daej Arab, Education Design Manager, The University of Sydney
153. Associate Professor Sarah Gleeson-White, Discipline of English, University of Sydney
154. Professor Kama Maclean, Chair of History, South Asia Institute, UNSW/University of Heidelberg
155. Dr Marcelo Svirsky, Senior Lecturer, University of Wollongong
156. Professor Fran Collyer, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Wollongong University
157. Associate Professor Jane Carey, Associate Professor in History, University of Wollongong
158. Professor Victoria Haskins, University of Newcastle
159. Dr Cassie Pedersen, Lecturer, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Federation University
160. Associate Professor Lucia Sorbera, The University of Sydney
161. Dr George Morgan, Adjunct, WSU
162. Emeritus Professor Baden Offord AO, Centre for Human Rights Education, Curtin University
163. Associate Professor Susan Thomas, University of Sydney

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