Media Release from the NTEU Newcastle Branch
NTEU tells University: “Abandon Navitas relationship”
The Newcastle branch of the National Education Tertiary Union (NTEU) has written to University of Newcastle management urging an abandoning of the University’s commercial relationship with private education and refugee service provider Navitas.
The NTEU is disturbed about widespread community concerns that Navitas has been allegedly providing slum-like accommodation and charging exorbitant rent to refugee families just a few kilometres from the Callaghan campus. The Newcastle branch of the NTEU understands these refugee families have been re-accommodated. The Newcastle branch of the NTEU further understands that Navitas, as well as a government-appointed review team from Ernst and Young, are conducting investigations into the circumstances of such unfortunate occurrences that have allegedly exploited the most vulnerable members of the Australian community.
While it would be premature at this time to second-guess the findings of those inquiries, the Newcastle branch of the NTEU has previously raised concerns about Navitas operations. The Newcastle branch of the NTEU has consistently expressed its opposition to a private-provider making use of publicly-funded facilities at the UoN under an agreement that lacks transparency. The pulling down of the “commercial-in-confidence” curtain assists university management in cementing this lack of transparency. The Newcastle branch of the NTEU is committed to an ongoing culture shift at the university that values transparency and accountability in all of the university’s financial dealings whenever such accountability does not breach legal obligations.
The Newcastle branch of the NTEU today wrote to Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations) Professor Kevin McConkey reaffirming its opposition to Navitas operating at the university and using publicly-funded facilities when key financial data are obscured from the public record. The Australian taxpayer has an interest in knowing what amount Navitas has been paying for the office space that has been allocated to them at the university.
The Newcastle branch of the NTEU again call on the current management at the university to reveal details regarding its financial arrangements with Navitas and to abandon its relationship with Navitas and its subsidiaries.
You can join the NTEU at their website http://www.nteu.org.au/newcastle/
