Maryanne Large
I’m an Associate Professor in the School of Physics, the current academic Vice President of the Branch, and one of the staff representatives on the University Senate. The nature of my work means I have professional connections with most parts of the University. I teach and research with academics in Science, Design, Business, Engineering, and Medicine. I’m also chair of the Physics Equity and Access Committee. I’m active on environmental issues, including divestment and sustainability. Working with other academics, I helped to develop the University Climate Action Statement.
My vision is for a bigger, more representative Union- a Union that can provide an intellectual counterpoint to management in vision and strategy. The University is a large and extremely complicated workplace. Our strength, unlike management, is the depth of our connection to staff and insight into their experiences. We are most effective when we listen to a diversity of voices across the University: different faculties, different backgrounds, different levels, and different employment situations. Only by doing this will be understand the nature of the challenges, and the range of possible solutions. It is also important that the branch committee is not restricted to a particular clique, but reflects and engages with the whole membership. Members with different views should not be dismissed as “problematic”.
The Union is important because it supports people. This could be individuals, such as people being bullied or harassed, or at the pointy end of cost-cutting; or more systemic issues, such as the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, the lack of diversity in senior roles, gender inequality in salary and promotion, the over-use of casual and fixed-term contracts for work that is on-going, over-work and wage theft. Some of these are issues have never been effectively addressed, others have got gradually worse with time. They all require active intervention.
Currently the Union is largely reactive to University change processes. I’d like to see us involved much earlier- identifying problems with the way that the place works and insisting on solutions that are driven by staff on the ground who know how things work. We need to be able to oppose bad management decisions vigourously, but where appropriate we must also be able to work with management and non-union members to shape policy. We need campaigners, but also people who can listen, develop strategies, persuade, and negotiate. These are skills I bring, from my experience on the Senate, in School and Faculty roles and of course in the Union.
Renewal of the University is not only possible, but necessary. It requires a Union that is up to the task: inclusive, positive and constructive.
