The Legitimacy Crisis at UWA and Two Syndromes to Avoid
- It is evident from the information meetings about the Renewal process and from UWA ASA and NTEU meetings about the process that there is a legitimacy crisis at UWA, which the Executive may perceive dimly or without clarity about its scope.
- This statement may be dismissed as an opinion rather than a fact but there is one way of verifying which it is. The reality could be ascertained readily if the Executive uses online technology (which it has promoted in the teaching environment) to find out the extent of support amongst UWA staff for the Renewal proposals. All that is needed is for an online and anonymous referendum on the proposals to be held. The details of the question would need to be worked out cooperatively with UWA ASA for the referendum itself to have legitimacy. The results of the referendum would need to be reported to staff immediately, as for any credible democratic process.