Letter – Tasmania University Law Society, 29 April 2022

Statement by Law Students on the Law School Crisis

The law students at the University of Tasmania, acting through their representative body the Tasmania University Law Society, agree to the following statement. This statement received unanimous support at a Special General Meeting on Tuesday, 26 April.

We believe that there are fundamental issues at the Law Faculty which have, so far, gone largely unaddressed and have been ignored. These issues are both institutional in nature and specific to particular units/subjects. The subject specific issues are symptoms of the much broader institutional issues.

We acknowledge and appreciate the dedication and commitment of many staff who consistently keep the best interests of students and our education at heart.

We are at a stage where we have little confidence in the leadership of the Law Faculty and the broader University administration to resolve these issues. What remains of our confidence in the Faculty’s administration is quickly eroding.

We believe that the following issues threaten the very existence and future of the Law School:

  • High staff turnover and the dramatic loss of subject-matter experts.

  • Severe cuts to teaching and learning resources.

  • A new teaching model that has been inflexibly and strictly applied to the detriment of content delivery.

  • Overworked and unsupported staff.

  • A culture where:

    • Concerns and issues go unaddressed and are dismissed.

    • The welfare of students and staff is undermined.

A clear onus has been placed on students to resolve these issues. Currently, there has been no resolution. We propose the following solutions to the University:

  • That the recruitment for new staff occurs as quickly as possible and that any future staff resignations are limited. Mitigating measures must be implemented to combat the effects of high staff turnover.

  • Change staff workload allocations so that academics are not overworked.

  • Units must be taught by experts or those trained in the relevant area of law. If not, greater support must be provided to those academics.

  • Allow flexibility in the new teaching model – let lecturers decide what works for them.

  • Implement greater teaching and learning resources – one academic should not be forced to undertake all teaching for a single unit.

  • Listen and meaningfully address student and staff concerns when they arise.

If these issues cannot be urgently resolved and our proposed solutions are not implemented this semester then we, as a collective student body, are prepared to take alternative action to save our law school.