Work Rights Matter, My professional experience

My Professional Experience
by Dr Joyce Noronha-Barrett

I I have worked in the higher education sector for 30+ years and hold a PhD from the University of New England.
My interest in education and particularly international education developed when I was an international student in Munich, Germany. By the time I was ready for a career, I had been a student at schools or universities in Asia, Europe and North America and the study campus had become a very familiar part of my life. My student experiences led me to pursue my passion of working in the higher education sector.

Initially I worked as an Administrator at the Australian National University (ANU) where some of my work also included working with AusAid students on aid based (Colombo Plan) scholarships from developing countries. After nearly a decade at the university, I joined IDP Education Australia where I held various positions including that of Manager Institutional Liaison and Manager Network Operations and New Markets. I then moved to the USA and established and managed the first IDP office in North America with some responsibility for establishing links in Latin America and Europe.

I later accepted an appointment as Manager of the Canadian Education Centre in Australia which was an initiative of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the CEC Network. In this role I developed relationships between Canadian and Australian institutions and government agencies, supported policy development, increased exchange programs and represented Canadian education in the region. Some years later I returned to the US as Director of the AEC Program where I undertook education marketing and student recruitment for semester/year abroad program and also managed `Experience Australia' orientation programs for North American students. I formed collaborative partnerships including consortia agreements and Memoranda of Understanding to move US students and their financial aid to Australian universities. I also developed an electronic `one stop shop' to fast track study abroad student applications from the AEC program and supported the Australian arrivals program.

I have presented papers at major international education conferences, designed exhibits and participated in education exhibitions and expos. While holding positions in international education, I was an active member of the National Association of International Educators (NAFSA) and the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and I collaborated with international education organizations. My fondest memories of working in the international education sector came as a result of the many opportunities I had to visit universities in Australia, many in Europe, USA, Canada and some in South America, Asia and New Zealand. The vibrancy of a university campus never failed to amaze me and this is what kept me grounded in the higher education sector until recent events.

After extensive travel for my work over many years, I decided to pursue a travel-free position in the higher education sector and subsequently returned to work at the ANU as a Senior School Administrator in March 2011. I was made `redundant' in March 2015.

My recent workplace experience led me to question the real cost of public sector spending (taxpayer liability) on contraventions of workplace laws and why these costs are currently not transparent in public sector budgets; instead costs for contraventions are simply listed within operational and HR budgets. I have raised my concerns with a public interest disclosure (PID) to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The costs to the Government's Comcare program from deliberate (not accidental) contraventions of workplace laws is also borne by the taxpayer. Currently perpetrators of bullying in Australian workplaces appear to get a `free pass' particularly if they have an HR Department willing to support them. This journey has now led me down the path of researching, writing and advocating for work rights and also establishing Work Rights Matter as a social enterprise. It is proposed that Work Rights Matter will evolve into a non-profit with a Board overseeing its work which will include the establishment of volunteer networks and support groups across all Australian States and Territories.

I advocate for:

(i) zero tolerance for unfair work practices including bullying and unfair dismissals;

(ii) medical, rehabilitation and `return to work' strategies for staff that become mentally ill as a result of workplace bullying - refer my submission on mental health to Government.

(iii) the reporting of wasteful government spending by public sector organizations in relation to their breaches of the Fair Work Act 2009 (FWA) and the Health and Safety Act 2011 (HSA).

(iv) a fairer system so that unfair dismissals do not simply equate to a maximum of 6 months salary for workers but indeed perpetrators can be removed from the workplace or have penalties imposed and unfairly dismissed workers can get their jobs back rather than have their careers marred.

It is my view that a `whole of government' approach is required to collect data on public sector employers so that the cost for contraventions of the FWA and the HSA to the Australian taxpayer become transparent. By doing so, the government and the public will be able to have information on what each public sector agency costs the Australian taxpayer in settlements, legal costs, Comcare and Centrelink liabilities because of contraventions of the FWA and the HSA. This will ensure better transparency and accountability of public systems.

When possible, I write letters to the Editor when newspaper articles only provide a one sided story and deserve a response. Some examples are attached here.

I continue my advocacy work and have made submissions to various government bodies about important issues surround work rights. Click here to access some of the documents which are available for public viewing. When possible, I will include here redacted versions of documents which I can make available to the public.

Over the years I have continued my support for a number of non-profit social justice projects and as a lifelong learner I recently completed my doctoral research at the University of New England on the global phenomenon of transnational education.