Australian social work education in the neoliberal university: the impacts on teaching, research, productivity, staff morale, collegiality and opportunities for resistance

Abstract

This article explores the impacts of the neoliberal university on Australian social work education and academics. It presents a critical analysis of empirical data derived from a national qualitative study involving 30 interviews with Australian social work educators. In particular, it discusses the rise of managerial-administrative control within universities, the impacts on teaching and curriculum (including the emergence of student consumer culture), the implications for research (which, like education, is funnelled away from a critical agenda) and the adverse impacts on social work academics’ workloads, their collegiality and their health and well-being. Findings are discussed in the context of changes by the Australian Association of Social Workers to the 2024 Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards, which may have serious consequences for social work educators and education if adopted in their current form. Social work academics’ resistance to the neoliberal logic is also briefly explored.

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