Exclusive: The uni's plans to 'streamline operational services' by closing down its flagship institute dedicated to climate action and sustainability have sparked internal backlash.
Monash University is scrapping its flagship sustainability institute, sparking backlash among some of its staff, Crikey can reveal.
In a proposed plan dated September 18 and sent to staff, the university's administration wrote they intended to "disestablish" the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI) by January 1 next year.
"It is proposed that MSDI is disestablished and its organisational units integrated into the faculties or portfolios most closely aligned with their respective areas of expertise," the document said. "This transition is expected to foster a more integrated, faculty-based approach, streamlining operational services and unlocking new research opportunities."
A three-week consultation period on the plan will end on Friday. The following week, any feedback on the plan will be considered by the university, and a final decision will be announced by October 31.
The MSDI was established in 2007 and had more than 200 academic and professional staff as of 2024. In an "impact report" from that year, the institute was described as working across the key areas of "climate action, environment and health, sustainable cities and regions, circular economy, inclusive prosperity, and leadership for the [United Nations sustainable development goals] -- to advance the wellbeing of people and the planet for current and future generations in Australia and the region".
After the release of the plan, staff at the institute were copied into a series of emails sent by MSDI director Anthony Capon, who encouraged colleagues to "stay positive in the time ahead".
"I have given more thought to the metaphor of MSDI as a beautiful flower," he wrote in an email sent on September 19. "While the original flower will, in time, be just a memory, many other beautiful flowers will bloom at Monash University, under the leadership of the MSDI exec team."
In another email sent on September 25, Capon wrote that he would "demand" the proposed plan on how to close the institute -- known internally as the "change paper" -- be withdrawn "because it is completely flawed".
"My proposal is that a second change paper is developed in consultation with the MSDI executive team and the relevant leaders within Monash faculties to ensure that this change process delivers your vision of 'broaden(ing) the university's sustainable development impact through our faculties'," he wrote.
Crikey tried to contact Capon by phone and email, but was unable to reach him before publication.
A Monash University spokesperson told Crikey the proposal would mean the MSDI would "transition from being a standalone organisational unit to having its functional areas realigned into relevant faculties".
"We've shared the proposal with staff who may be impacted and will consider their feedback before making a final decision. There are no redundancies or impact on current fixed-term staff contracts as part of this proposal," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
"We've proposed this realignment to strengthen our academic integration, enable clearer educational alignment, and maximise research impact of our collective sustainability efforts across research."
The spokesperson said Monash University was "deeply committed to research in sustainability and climate change" and vowed "this important work will continue".
President of the National Tertiary Education Union's Monash branch Ben Eltham said the university's justifications for breaking up the institute didn't add up.
"Why would Monash abolish its sustainability institute? It's been extremely successful," he said. "And the university says it believes in the Paris Agreement. Climate change is one of its big three strategic priorities."
"[I get the feeling] it's about internal politics. This won't strengthen the research -- surely splitting the teams up will hurt the research."