Monash University signs EU following underpayments of over $20m

A total of $20.7 million in back payments will be made to over 10,000 underpaid staff at Monash University, following the education provider’s signing of an enforceable undertaking (EU) with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The Melbourne-based university has entered an EU with the Fair Work Ombudsman to back pay 10,877 underpaid current and former staff a total of $20.7 million, and make a $350,000 contrition payment into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Caused by “incorrect activity descriptions being entered into timesheets, and inconsistent descriptions for the same work activity in core documents (such as timetables, unit guides and handbooks)”, the Fair Work Ombudsman found, these underpayments were for work performed between January 2014 and January 2025.

This news comes after enforceable undertakings signed by various other universities, including the Queensland University of Technology in November, the University of Wollongong in September, Griffith University in June, and La Trobe University in March.

The education provider failed to provide correct rates for original and repeat tutorials, and did not meet minimum engagement obligations for activities performed, along with underpaying rates for original lectures and tutorials under multiple enterprise agreements.

The $20.7 million total comprised $15 million in underpayments, $3.8 million in interest, and $1.9 million in superannuation. So far, the university has completed $20.5 million of the total amount, in back payments to more than 10,400 employees.

All underpaid workers were part of one of the university’s 10 faculties, mainly consisting of casual academic sessional staff, and a smaller group of research assistants.

Around 26 per cent of information technology and medicine, nursing, and health science workers, about 18 per cent of engineering faculty workers, about 15 per cent of science faculty workers, less than 2 per cent of arts faculty workers, and less than 1 per cent of law and art design and architecture faculty workers were underpaid by the university.

The enforceable undertaking arose from two self-disclosures in September 2021 and December 2024, which saw underpayments between less than $5 to more than $210,000, including superannuation and interest owing to their staff. The average underpayment in 2021’s self-report was about $5,300, and last year’s was about $1,000.

To rectify its non-compliance, Monash University, under the EU, committed to establishing a Compliance Reference Group, informing all its staff about the EU, reporting to the FWO about systems and processes it will implement to be compliant moving forward, commissioning an independent compliance audit, maintaining a complaints and review mechanism, and prioritising monitoring its compliance with Fair Work instruments.