AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES REVIEW - Fat Cat and Friends - Which university pays its general staff the best?

Oct 15, 2026

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A comparative analysis evaluates DEST’s aggregated staff unit record data (2005 release, based on 2005/31 March reporting) to identify which Australian universities pay the highest equivalent annual salaries to general, non-academic staff. Universities must provide ministerial statistical returns covering workforce attributes and equivalent full-time annual salary. The study constructs a net general staff population by excluding academic staff and specific non-uniform categories (independent operations, TAFE/VET, and CRCs), then examines distribution by HEW levels and salary patterns, noting variability at upper grades.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Legislative reporting requirements and data source

Some system-wide statistics

Derivation of net general staff population

Distribution by function and HEW levels

General Staff Salaries

Salary variability across HEW grades

A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S R E V I E W Fat Cat and Friends Which university pays its general staff the best? Dr Ian R Dobson Universities are required by legislation to provide annual staff unit record files to the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). Most universities seem to undertake this task with appropriate diligence. This paper examines the latest staff aggregated data set released by DEST (2005 data), in order to compare average salaries paid by universities to general (‘non-academic’) staff, and to identify the top salaries paid. Introduction Under Subdivision 19E, 19-70 (1) of the Higher Education Support Act (2003) A higher education provider must give to the Minister such statistical and other information that the Minister by notice in writing requires from the provider in respect of: (a) the provision of higher education by the provider; and (b) compliance by the provider with the requirements of this Act. Within this requirement, universities must provide the government with a wide range of statistics, on students, finance, research and staff. Among the information reported by universities on full time and fractional full time staff are details of age, sex, tenure, various details about jobs, and for those staff designated as ‘non-academic’, their equivalent full time annual salary. This paper uses publicly available aggregated staff statistics to establish which universities are the highest payers. Salary information has never been collected for academic staff, perhaps because such salaries were presumed to be ‘known’. Until the introduction of enterprise bargaining in 1993, academic salaries were set centrally. The data file can be downloaded from [http://www.dest](http://www.dest). [gov.au/sectors/higher_education/publications_resources/](gov.au/sectors/higher_education/publications_resources/)[ ](gov.au/sectors/higher_education/publications_resources/)[statistics/higher_education_statistics_collection.htm\#Data_](statistics/higher_education_statistics_collection.htm#Data_)[from_the_Staff_Collection](from_the_Staff_Collection) (Accessed 25 March 2007) . Some system-wide statistics Tables 1 and 2 show the derivation and distribution of staff used for this paper. The net full time equivalent (FTE) general staff population of 45,995 was derived from DEST’s aggregated staff data set for 2004 by removing (in order): • All academic staff, and • General staff in: m independent operations – controlled entities m TAFE / VET entities, and m Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) . General staff in the three last-mentioned categories were removed on the grounds that these entities are not uniformly represented across the sector. The staff population analysed, therefore, includes only higher education staff, classified as‘non-academic’, occupying a full time or fractional full time position, and not working in independent operations, TAFE or CRCs. In 2005 (as 31 March), Australian universities reported a workforce numbering over 82,000 full time equivalent staff (excluding casual staff) which can be divided roughly between‘academic’ staff engaged primarily in teaching and research (42 per cent) and ‘general’ staff (also frequently described as‘non-academic’) charged with providing support for that academic work (58 per cent) . The general staff are also reported according to their ‘function’. Of the total of 45,995 general staff, about 2,780 were reported as having a ‘research only’function (laboratory support staff in the main), the balance 40 Fat Cat and Friends, Ian R Dobson vol. 50, no. 1, 2008 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S R E V I E W Table 1: Derivation of the General Staff Population 2005 | | Full Time
Equivalent (No.) | Full Time
Equivalent (%) | | --- | --- | --- | | Total full time / fractional full time population on DEST File | 82275 | 100.0% | | Less: | | | | Academic Staff | 34520 | 42.0% | | Independent Op

FAQs

What data source is used to compare university salaries for general staff?

The analysis uses the latest staff aggregated dataset released by DEST, based on staff unit record files provided by universities to the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).

How does the paper define the “net” general staff population?

It removes all academic staff and general staff in independent operations, TAFE/VET entities, and Cooperative Research Centres, leaving higher education staff classified as non-academic in full-time or fractional full-time positions.

Why does the paper caution against analyzing “research only” general staff separately?

Some universities report few or no general staff with a research-only function, and reporting practices differ by state, which limits the conclusiveness of separate analysis.

Oct 15, 2026

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