Macquarie University Cuts Funding From 2SER After 45 Years

Macquarie University has pulled funding from community radio station 2SER after 45 years.

Jointly owned by both Macquarie and the University Technology of Sydney since 1979, the station has given students an hands-on learning experience in broadcast media.

In an internal email seen by CityHub, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Chris Dixon, said that the partnership was no longer part of the university’s strategic alignment, financially sustainable, or necessary for student experience.

A spokesperson for Macquarie University told CityHub that the decision had been reached after “extensive reflection”, and “aligns with the University’s responsibility to balance its core missions of education and research with long-term financial sustainability.”

“Sustaining 2SER requires significant ongoing investment, and in the current financial environment, this cannot be justified relative to the benefits delivered,” they said. “The University has provided the station with 15 months’ notice to support planning and transition.

“While 2SER has been an important partner in providing hands-on learning for students, Macquarie now offers a range of experiential and industry-standard opportunities through purpose-built on-campus studios. Macquarie remains committed to supporting students in a wide range of contemporary journalistic and broadcast practices, and to ensuring they continue to benefit from rich, industry-relevant experiences in their studies and beyond.”

University sector in crisis

The move comes only months after Macquarie University released a draft proposal to staff informing them that 42 full positions in the faculty of arts and 33 in science and engineering would be cut. 40 mergers and curriculum reductions will also be made throughout 2026 and 2027, including the cutting of majors in politics, gender studies, media and performing arts, which the university attributed to low enrolment figures.

The university has run a deficit for five of the past six years, posting a loss of $3.7 million last year. Its annual report shows Vice chancellor Bruce Dowton was paid a salary a little over $1 million.

“Scrapping courses and cutting jobs slowly picks away at the fabric of our society that needs world-class higher education to thrive,” said NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes.

“This terrible decision is yet another shocking example of poor university governance, which needs urgent reform so we have accountability and transparency.”

Earlier this year, a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the university sector was announced, following extensive course cuts from multiple institutions, an over-reliance on consulting firms, and severe financial mismanagement, including massively overblown Vice Chancellor salaries.

The inquiry comes as universities across the state announce massive job cuts, with 1,500 jobs under threat across six NSW public universities including University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie, and Western Sydney.

Almost one third of these job cuts come from UTS, which is slashing 10 per cent of its workforce as part of a redundancy program attempting to save the university $100 million. Approximately 400 jobs are expected to be lost.