“You asked me to teach. It’s time to pay me fairly for it."

Torrens Casual Academics Underpayment Class Action

We have commenced a class action for casual academics at Torrens University who were not paid for marking, as well as other required academic activity performed outside their scheduled teaching hours.

In March 2026, the Full Federal Court found that Torrens had unlawfully relied on a single rolled-up lecture rate to cover marking duties that should have been separately paid under the Higher Education Industry, Academic Staff Award 2020.

Torrens’ application for special leave to appeal to the High Court has since been declined, which now crystallises Torrens breach of the Award and gives rise to a clear obligation to back pay casual academics for their unpaid work.

Register your interest

We would like to speak to casual academics on a confidential basis who have worked at any Torrens campus from 10 September 2020 to learn more about their duties perfomed and their practice of work across different faculties.

If you worked as a casual academic at Torrens University at any time in the last six years and would like to register your interest, please register below.

Am I eligible to register?

You may be a group member of this class action, if:

  • you were employed at Torrens University from 10 September 2020; and

  • you are a casual academic under the Higher Education Industry - Academic Staff - Award 2020 (Award) and

  • you performed lecturing, marking and other required academic activities (such as student consultation, training, attending meetings, reviewing online forums and attending orientations), and;

  • you were not paid for some or all of that time.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or feel you may meet any of the above criteria.

“This decision puts vice-chancellors on notice: the days of treating casual staff as an endless source of free labour are over.”

- Dr Damien Cahill, General Secretary at NTEU on the Full Federal Court's ruling that lecture rates cannot cover unlimited unpaid marking (HR Leader, March 2026)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a class action or group proceeding?

A group proceeding, also referred to as a class action, is a type of court case started by one or more people - called lead applicants - who bring the claim for themselves as well as for others with similar legal issues against the same opposing party (the respondent). Those additional participants are known as group members.

The aim of a class action is to address shared questions of fact or law that affect the whole group. It isn’t necessary for each claim to be identical. In reality, it is normal for there to be differences in the type or amount of loss and damage experienced by each person in the group.

What is this class action about?

What is this action about it?

This class action concerns claims that casual academics at Torrens perfomed duties beyond lecturing without being paid.

With the support from the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), the claim is focused on three areas of concern:

  • Underpayment for lecturing — some casual academics were not paid associated time for each hour they were required to deliver a lecture.

  • Underpayment for marking — casual academics were not paid for time actually spent marking student assessments outside scheduled teaching hours.

  • Underpayment for other required academic activity — casual academics were not paid for duties including moderation, training, unit meetings, and student consultation, which attract a separate Award rate.

Am I a group member?

A “group member” or “class member” is a person who shares a dispute with the representative applicant in a class action, even though they may not know it.

A lead applicant is a person who “represents” the other people in the class action.

You may be a group member of this class action the group member definition. The group member definition is:

  • you were employed as a casual academic at Torrens University from 10 September 2020;

  • you fall within the following classifications:

    • casual academic;

  • you performed academic activities outside your scheduled teaching hours;

  • you were not paid for some or all of that time.

Why should I register?

Registering will give you updates about the progress of the class action. It will also allow you at a later date to provide information which will enable us to calculate and assess your entitlements.

What does it cost to take part in the class action?

There is no out-of-pocket cost to taking part in the class action. It is free to register.

You will not have to pay anything if the class action is unsuccessful.

If the class action is successful, the legal fees will either be deducted from the amount awarded to the group as a whole or from each individual group member’s payment.

Any payment of legal fees must be first approved by the Court as fair and reasonable.

Will my current employer find out about any involvement I have in this class action?

No. Your registration with us and details of your individual circumstances will be kept confidential and only shared with your employer with your permission.

Our approach is tailored especially for unpaid academics.

 

Working in service.

Litigation is expensive, and we understand academics may not have the means to fight this action alone. 

We will conduct this case on a ‘No Win No Fee’ basis.

Change that lasts.

Compensation does not alone achieve lasting change. That’s why our calls for change don’t stop there.