Postgraduate candidates in University of Technology Sydney’s Council elections have condemned the University’s governance across its last term and promised a new era of advocating for students’ needs, a forum held by Central News has heard.

The candidates criticised the controversial Academic Implementation Plan finalised in February to phase out 14 undergraduate and 49 postgraduate degrees, as well as cutting 121 full-time roles from the university. 

“The student has been, the faculty has been, the professional staff have been distracted from delivering the best student outcomes because of all these disruptive factors,” said candidate and juris doctor student Susie Zhong.

“So the job cuts are a temporary fix, but [it’s] damaging the outcome of our degree and students’ experience.”

Fellow candidate and masters student in acoustics George Tulloch added: “When this University cuts 134 jobs, a postgrad loses an elective, a research student loses their supervisor and there’s nobody left in the building to replace them.”

The academic restructuring has seen processes become more centralised at UTS, including the merging and redesigning of faculties, as announced in November of 2025. According to incumbent postgraduate representative Harvey Billingham, this has hit students hard.

“When courses are cut, a whole career plan goes out the window,” said Billingham, a masters of clinical psychology student. “When subject timetables are changed, that’s caregiving that has to change [and] work shifts that are then missed.

“And I think we need to keep that authority at a local level where the people that make those decisions are people that you have relationships with.”

Just cutting jobs, cutting costs and cutting courses is not a solution. It’s the absolute last resort and I hope the council understands that.

Susie Zhong, candidate

But with significant financial strain across the university, including an operating loss of $63 million in 2025, the candidates acknowledged change had to occur. They argued it should have been carried out more transparently and with better consultation.

“I don’t think that students are unreasonable,” added postgrad student Cameron Craig. “They know that cuts happen in the private sector, in government, in education.

“But I wrote a paper earlier this year about the cuts and students don’t feel like they’re even consulted”.

Zhong added: “Just cutting jobs, cutting costs and cutting courses is not a solution. It’s the absolute last resort and I hope the council understands that.”

Tulloch expressed disappointment in transparency right up to editing his candidate statement. 

“UTS amended my candidate statement,” said Tulloch. “In it, I called the Vice-Chancellor ‘Austerity Andrew’ and I stand by that. They removed ‘austerity’. That’s within their rights but it shows just how much they don’t want this public.” 

UTS Council consists of 20 representatives, five of which are elected. Two of these representatives are UTS students: one postgraduate candidate and one undergraduate candidate. 

In response to questions from Central News, UTS referred to its most recent statement that “to remain financially sustainable, this initiative has involved difficult decisions resulting in some job losses”, but that it was committed to “improving services and support for students”. 

Voting closes on September 24 at 3pm, and students can access the online voting link here.

Candidate bios

HARVEY BILLINGHAM

I am: I’m currently the post-graduate representative to the UTS Council. I’m also a masters of clinical psychology student and PhD candidate in the School of Health. 

I’m running because: I understand what it takes and the responsibility that it comes with, and I’m more than willing and excited about the opportunity of committing to a full two-year term. But as I said, it’s over to the student body now. I’m sure that no matter who gets elected, we’ll be well represented. 

What you can expect: I think my experience brings me that practical experience and that connection with the student body. Council sits at a position at the top of the food chain where they make decisions that might sound like a good idea. They might be intended as a good idea. But the trickle-down effect of what that experience is like for students may be very different. I’ve been a consistent voice, a student representative, to hold the council to account and to advocate for greater transparency as well. 

SUSIE ZHONG

I am: Studying at UTS, doing the juris doctor program. I’m a company secretary, so we’re equipped with corporate governance knowledge, financial management, together with risk management. I’ve been in the position as a company secretary for about 15 years now so day-in, day-out I deal with laws and question board management on their deliveries.

I’m running because: We all know that UTS is going through a disruptive and also transformative era, with financial struggles. But in the meantime, I felt like the university has distracted itself from the student outcome. 

What you can expect: I would talk to each individual student group and listen to their concerns… but we needed to fix our common goal [which] is to drive the student outcome. And then with that, we’ll look at the student pressures from academic excellence, the social and cultural stress, the safety, the future-ready programs, etc. So in that way, we would be able to fit everyone into the framework and address their needs as a whole. 

GEORGE TULLOCH

I am: A UTS Students Postgraduate Officer, Master of Research Candidate at the Centre of Audio Acoustics and Vibration and I’m starting an industry PhD next year. I run a DeepTech company built from my own research.

I’m running because: In 18 months, this University suspended 146 courses, proposed 167 more and over 1,000 subjects and removed a shared 134 full-time roles. Every one of those decisions happened in a room that I’m asking you to send me into. I’m not running to be a student voice in the corner. I can read up a budget, I can read a risk register and I won’t let someone at a consultants desk talk me out of asking a question. 

What you can expect: I won’t stand here and promise that I’ll stop the next one on my own. One vote out of 20 doesn’t stop anything. What one vote does is make it slower, make it louder and make it much harder to do quietly. It puts a name on the record. It asks the awkward question while consultants are still in the room.

CAMERON CRAIG

I am: I have over 20 years experience working in the real world. In Silicon Valley, I worked for Apple, Amazon and VISA and a number of other companies. Also, I have experience working in Asia. And I came to this University and University life for the first time last year. I never went to the University when I was younger. So I think I bring a unique perspective in that I understand how business works. 

I’m running because: I understand what companies are looking for in terms of skills from the students who graduate from UTS. And I’m also at that stage of my career where I’m just not afraid to ask the tough questions to hold people accountable. I’m a communicator by trade.

What you can expect: The three questions that I will ask at every UTS Council meeting is: were students involved in the decision, which students [and] what was the outcome of listening to the students? And I’ll look at every decision that is made with the lens of does it increase the value of education for students or does it diminish it?

Main image by Tom Snow, of UTS postgraduate candidates at a candidate forum held by Central News. From left-to-right, Harvey Billingham, Susie Zhong, George Tulloch and Cameron Craig.