‘Can’t pay the rent’: 1000 academics take on employer in first class action of its kind

September 18, 2026 — 5:00amTens of millions of dollars are at stake in Australia’s first-ever class action for allegedly underpaid academics as close to 1000 casual university staffers take on their employer.Torrens University was last Friday served with a claim that alleges it systemically underpaid lecturers and teachers over a six-year period, ranging from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per academic.Tito Scohel is the lead applicant in the class action against Torrens University.Wolter PeetersTorrens University was founded in 2013 as Australia’s first private university and owned by American teaching giant Strategic Education. The class of litigants is expected to include staff from campuses in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and elsewhere across the country.“Underpayment of academics within the university sector has reached endemic proportions,” said lawyer Hayden Stephens, who is running the class action after successfully recouping a similar amount of unpaid wages for the state’s junior doctors with a similar claim.“What makes Torrens stand out is the systemic and widespread underpayment of the most basic work of a casual academic over many years.“Our clients don’t seek pay rises or higher rates. They simply want proper recognition for the work they actually perform,” Stephens said.The claim alleges the university underpaid casual academics for marking, moderation, training, meetings, student consultation and other required work.Workforce casualisation, poor record-keeping and failure to comply with sometimes difficult workplace laws have led to an explosion in underpayment across the sector. The Fair Work Ombudsman had the University of NSW enter into an enforceable undertaking to repay $32.7 million owed to 33,000 staff this year. The University of Sydney signed one in 2024 for $23 million to 14,000 workers.Time restrictions led the Torrens staff to a class action instead of consulting the industrial umpire in what is believed to be the country’s first for academic staff.Lead applicant Tito Scohel said he wanted change.“We’re taking this step because it’s the right one; a court framework gives casual academics real confidence that Torrens will be held to account to do the right thing.”Motivated by his 20 years running not-for-profits and community organisations, Scohel started at Torrens as a lecturer in social work for mostly international students in 2023.He says he always knew he was being underpaid.“I kept teaching. I was quite aware, but I didn’t have any options because that’s the only job I had,” he said.Transforming international students into social workers is hard work.“You have to give them a lot of time. Community services is a very values-driven subject. It’s not sudden skill that you gain and you become competent.“And then you can’t pay the rent,” Scohel said.Torrens University said the matter related to an interpretation of the entitlements, and it was committed to its workplace obligations.“We have been working towards remediating affected staff and have been communicating regularly with those staff about this process,” it said.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.More:UniversityFor subscribersClass actionSydneyBlue MountainsFrom our partners