Susan Beetson

As an Aboriginal academic, being part of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) matters because universities don’t run on goodwill—they run on policies, budgets, workloads, and power. The NTEU is one of the few places where staff collectively shape those settings, rather than simply absorb them.

Union membership helps protect fair and culturally safe workplaces: clear workload expectations, secure employment pathways, transparent promotion and performance processes, and access to advice and representation when concerns arise. That matters for everyone, but it is especially important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff who can carry additional cultural responsibilities—community obligations, mentoring, cultural safety work, and the emotional load of being “the only one” in rooms where decisions are made.

Being in the NTEU is also about backing systemic change. It supports stronger commitments to Indigenous self-determination in higher education, pushes against precarious employment that disproportionately affects early-career academics, and strengthens the collective voice needed to improve teaching and research conditions for the long term.

For me, joining is a practical expression of solidarity—protecting my capacity to do good work, and helping build universities that are fairer, safer, and more accountable to staff and community.