Staff at the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Wing Museum are pushing back against a proposed restructure that would cut eight positions across its curatorial, collections and public engagement teams.
A petition circulating in Australian cultural sector circles warns that the changes risk diminishing the museum’s capacity to care for its collections, deliver education programs, support academic research and keep its standing as a leading university museum. The proposal’s existence was first reported by The Art Newspaper.
Chau Chak Wing Museum cuts – quick links
What is being proposed?
According to the petition, the restructure would cut eight roles and the key position of Head of Collections. The petition also describes the proposed management structure as ‘top-heavy’, with three executive-level directors in an organisation of around 30 staff.
The university says the changes are designed to strengthen the museum’s education and exhibition programs. In a statement responding to the petition, it said this involved realigning positions in education, public programs and curatorial work. It added that the changes would create a more sustainable staffing structure to meet growing demand.
The university said the overall number of full-time equivalent roles would remain unchanged. Formal consultation began in July, and it said feedback and proposed alternatives were welcome.
What are staff saying?
Head of Public Engagement Craig Barker, an archaeologist, told The Art Newspaper that the proposal would shift staff focus towards education and engagement, which he broadly supports. However, he warned it would also come at the expense of curatorial work and management of the museum’s collections, on which it has built its reputation. He said academic research and international expert networks would suffer.
Barker said his own role would become Deputy Director of Business, Education and Experience, and that he believed the emphasis would fall on business. He questioned whether the university wanted a world-class research and object-based teaching facility or simply ‘a nice shiny building with pictures hanging on the wall’.
Ann Stephen, Senior Curator of the University Art Collection, said she felt her job was under threat. Without curatorial expertise, she warned, artworks could be misattributed or misvalued, and exhibitions could become shallow spectacles lacking historical research.
What role is the union playing?
John Buchanan, University of Sydney branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union, said the museum’s staff were strongly unionised and would fight the changes.
Buchanan said highly expert staff had effectively been told to reapply for their own jobs through a ‘spill-and-fill’ process. He described this as an unhelpful way to handle a complex problem in the creative workforce, and praised staff for organising so effectively.
About the Chau Chak Wing Museum
The Chau Chak Wing Museum opened on the University of Sydney’s Camperdown campus in 2020 and is free to visit and open to the public. It combined the university’s three major collections – antiquities, natural history and art – under one roof.
The museum is led by Director Michael Dagostino, who is curating the Australian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. It was also a venue for the 2026 Biennale of Sydney.
The restructure is the latest in a run of challenges for Sydney’s museums this year, coming as Powerhouse Parramatta opened its doors amid an ongoing misconduct investigation.
