Marija Taflaga
@marijataflaga.bsky.social
230 followers 160 following 150 posts
Political Scientist at The Australian National University. Political Tragic, co-host of the Democracy Sausage podcast
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marijataflaga.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/1OPE...

In this week's DS episode @jennaprice.bsky.social, Sinclair Davidson, Mark and I discuss the governance crisis in the Australian University sector.

It is telling when folk from across the political spectrum agree on the problem and most of the solution

A thread🧵
Universities in crisis
open.spotify.com
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
alexiakatsanidou.bsky.social
Great paper on the state of political science osf.io/preprints/os... by @guygrossman.bsky.social et. al. We have become more diverse, more quantitative, and more collaborative.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
francismarkham.bsky.social
Worth remembering that SEAM was abandoned by the federal Coalition government not just because of human rights concerns.

But also the evaluations showed that it "didn't work" in terms of creating the outcomes that the government wanted to see.

This dead policy should not have been resurrected.
mklapdor.bsky.social
NT to activate school attendance income management measure. While provided for in the legislation, I don't believe it's been used previously. There were other program which could suspend or cancel payments - e.g. SEAM in the NT which ended in 2017. nit.com.au/06-10-2025/2...
NT government to refer parents of truant children to income management
The Northern Territory Government will refer parents whose children do not attend school to income management, saying the measure is part of the CLP's plan to reduce crime and strengthen community saf...
nit.com.au
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Exclusive: Anthony Albanese personally overruled a push in cabinet by then attorney-general Mark Dreyfus to give the National Anti-Corruption Commission wider discretion to hold public hearings. Jason Koutsoukis reports. satpa.pe/LIMpt0r
Exclusive: Anthony Albanese overruled push for public NACC hearings
The Saturday Paper can reveal that the prime minister and other ministers from NSW intervened in cabinet to constrain the operations of the country’s leading integrity body.
satpa.pe
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
francismarkham.bsky.social
The day after the ANU Vice Chancellor's resignation, the presentation she made to Council for the job cuts has been made public under FOI.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
sasha-mikheyev-anu.bsky.social
I am running for the ANU Council. If you are a member of NTEU, please consider voting for me. Here is my platform, in brief:

I have worked in academic governance on three continents over decades, including six years in ANU College leadership.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
anuausi.bsky.social
📌 #AUListen #DemocracySausage 🎙️ Author Virginia Haussegger joins @marijataflaga.bsky.social & @markgkenny.bsky.social to discuss her new book tracing fifty years of Australian feminism and ask why the revolution that began in 1975 remains unfinished.

Listen now 🎧https://bit.ly/4nRvyGC.
marijataflaga.bsky.social
Tell me you have children, without telling me you have children.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
francismarkham.bsky.social
According to leaked documents reported by Ben Abbatangelo earlier this year, the Australian Government Solicitor advised cabinet in 2015 that there was a medium to high risk that the CDP breached the Racism Discrimination Act.

I expect a payout in this class action is highly likely.
marijataflaga.bsky.social
congratulations! Well deserved!
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
thesiswhisperer.bsky.social
ANU colleagues and students - please share this post if you can:

The ANU governance project has extended our deadline to comment on the Draft report to next week - 7 October.

Here's a link to a feedback form, which also contains the link to the draft report:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Feedback on ANU Governance Project Draft Report
The ANU Governance Project Working Group are proud to present the Draft Project Report for community feedback and consultation. The Draft Project Report is available on our website or through THIS LINK. Using a process that has involved deep listening and a participatory and deliberative process across the ANU community, we have compiled a unique and valuable body of evidence that documents what’s wrong with governance at the ANU and charts a way forward to help rebuild trust and to deliver best practice governance. Over 600 ANU staff, students, and stakeholders have participated in this project, and in contributing constructively to the future of ANU. This includes 590 members of the community who participated in our survey, 75 who participated in one-hour small group discussions, and over 40 from across the university who participated in our project workshop. The ANU community told us there a critical need for change: Over 96% of survey respondents and all discussion group participants believe current ANU governance is not fit for purpose and should be reformed. Over 92% of survey respondents and all discussion group participants expressed dissatisfaction with current ANU governance. Over 93% of survey respondents said they were dissatisfied with current practices of transparency at the ANU. Over 93% of survey respondents said they were dissatisfied with accountability frameworks at the ANU. The ANU Community has proposed the following near-term steps forward for a reformed ANU: Council must direct Finance to produce and publish a current budget breakdown. Council must revise and publish selection criteria for Executive positions. Council meetings must immediately be made fully accessible to the community. Academic Board must regularly review and assess the financial decisions of senior executives and Council. Commence senior leadership listening tours with the ANU community. Additional recommendations forwarded by the community are summarised in the full report, including a proposal to co-design legislative reform of the ANU Act with the community. The Working Group invites the ANU community and stakeholders to offer feedback via this form on the draft report by midnight on Tuesday 7 October. This deadline has been extended in order to allow us more time to hear and incorporate community feedback ahead of the release of our final report on Monday 20 October.
docs.google.com
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
francismarkham.bsky.social
Here is some time series data for the whole sector from the Department of Education statistics. Remarkably stable over time all in all.
marijataflaga.bsky.social
I think it comes from a time when these were tiny communities and ppl therefore felt a lifelong connection. that doesn't really reflect the modern world now
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
marijataflaga.bsky.social
I wonder if sortition would actually be more effective as a way of getting alumni involved.

It is important to think about how the public get a say in university governance, I think in this day and age, relying on Alumni doesn't make as much sense as when only 6% of the population went to uni
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
markgkenny.bsky.social
Australias foreign policy is decided in Canberra, not Washington. To say these words at this time in that precise place was significant.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
nteunion.bsky.social
AI is changing the way we work, and reshaping higher education.
It must be introduced fairly, ethically & with real consultation so staff aren’t left behind.
How is AI being used in your workplace?
Share your story: nteu.info/aistory
marijataflaga.bsky.social
a wonderful example of why just making things democratic is not the answer for Uni governance. We need to think through what we want senates to do and have a mix of interests so good bargaining and deliberation happens
grugstan.bsky.social
I'm voting in UQ's Senate election today for the three alumni seats and it's a masterclass in terrible electoral design.

For one it uses the terrible perversion that is the FPTP method of election multiple members in a seat.
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
ouranu.bsky.social
“The university says it is saving itself from financial crisis, but a team of accounting professors have crunched the numbers and say they tell a different story.”

Depressingly familiar to our experience at ANU. Solidarity to colleagues at UTS. ✊

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Academics dispute state of finances at leading Sydney university - ABC listen
Almost one in every two Australian universities has been restructured in the past year, and there is more to come. Thousands of jobs have been cut, and thousands more are in the firing line. At the ...
www.abc.net.au
marijataflaga.bsky.social
👀... 10 explosive stories you say...
Reposted by Marija Taflaga
thesaturdaypaper.com.au
The power behind Morrison and Sussan Ley, Alex Hawke talks to Karen Barlow: “I've helped Coalition figures senior and junior for 30 years. I've maintained all those confidences. I could give you 10 explosive stories today, but I've never done that, have I, Karen?" satpa.pe/gamzCQf
‘Ruthlessly effective’: The Morrison lieutenant behind Ley’s leadership
Liberal powerbroker Alex Hawke – a key figure in Scott Morrison’s inner circle – has emerged as the factional leader and numbers man on whom Sussan Ley depends for her control of the party.
satpa.pe