Fair Work Ombudsman
Citation: FWO-2025-09-25-the-university-of-wollongong-eu-media-release
At a glance
- Respondent
- The University of Wollongong
- Penalty
- $6,600,000
- Employees affected
- 5340
What happened
The University of Wollongong signed an Enforceable Undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman and will complete more than $6.6 million in payments, including interest and superannuation, to 5,340 underpaid staff. Most affected employees were casual professional services staff in non-teaching roles, including administration officers, IT officers, librarians and researchers. Some full-time and part-time employees, academic and support staff, were also underpaid. The primary cause was the university's failure to pay casual professional staff the minimum three-hour engagement per shift required under its enterprise agreements, and underpayment of penalty rates.
What was decided
Under the EU, the University of Wollongong will complete the $6.6 million in back-pay and make a $130,000 contrition payment. A second contrition payment will be made after two matters still under review at the time of signing are finalised. The figures are remediation and contrition, not a civil penalty.
What it means for employers
Universities using casuals for professional services work, not just teaching, face the same minimum engagement and penalty rate rules. Rostering systems must enforce the three-hour minimum and penalty rate triggers automatically, including for admin, IT and library casuals.
What it means for employees
University of Wollongong casual professional staff, including administration, IT, library and research roles, should check whether they were paid the minimum three-hour engagement and correct penalty rates. Some full-time and part-time staff are also in scope. The university is contacting affected staff.
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This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections