The ACT Greens have called on federal and ACT ministers to stop what education spokesperson Laura Nuttall MLA called “destructive” cuts at the Australian National University, accusing university leadership of prioritising corporate interests over educational outcomes.
The 60-year-old School of Music will be incorporated into a new School of Creative and Cultural Practices, also incorporating the School of Art & Design and the Centre for Heritage & Museum Studies, the ANU announced this week.
Professor Bronwyn Parry, Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, said the proposed new School would bring together nationally renowned programs, reflect modern creative practice, and better support academic research.
This follows recent announcements that the ANU would cut 100 jobs: 59 from the Research and Innovation Portfolio, College of Science and Medicine, and College of Arts and Social Sciences; and 41 from Information Technology Services, the Information Security Office, and the Planning and Service Performance Division.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Genevieve Bell said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for our community. We need to make changes to ensure we can continue to deliver on our national mission to provide world-class teaching and research into the future, and in a way that is responsible for our use of public funds and the fees our students pay.”
According to the ABC, music production, technology, and Indigenous music would be prioritised, while some positions in performance, composition, theory, and musicology would be cut. Students have formed a group, No Cuts at ANU, to protest.
Professor Parry said that live performance, composition, music technology and production would continue to be taught; no disciplines were being disestablished; and students would be able to complete their courses.
Ms Nuttall has written to federal education minister Jason Clare MP, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, and arts minister Michael Pettersson MLA to “step up and advocate to their federal colleagues for real action to stop the destruction happening at ANU, because our community is simply fed-up”.
“The ANU isn’t just some university — it’s part of Canberra’s identity. People come here to study there, they stay to build their lives, and almost everyone in this city knows someone whose life has been shaped by it in some ways,” Ms Nuttall said. “This is a fundamental institution in our city, and it’s time the government treated it that way — not just with words, but with real action.”
The ANU will consult with staff and students on the proposed changes for three weeks.
