The Academic Career of Rachael Gunn at Macquarie University

Rachael Gunn, widely recognized in academic circles for her contributions to cultural studies, served as a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University. Her tenure in this role spanned several years, with some reports indicating nearly two decades of association with the institution, beginning as a student at age 18. Gunn's academic journey is marked by a deep integration of theory and practice, particularly in exploring the cultural politics of breaking, also known as breakdancing. She completed her PhD in 2017 at Macquarie University with a thesis titled Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying, which critically examined how masculinist practices in breakdancing provide spaces for transgressing gendered norms through analytic autoethnography, interviews, and frameworks from philosophers like Deleuze, Guattari, and Butler.

Her research output includes influential publications such as "Where the #bgirls at? Politics of (in)visibility in breaking culture" in Feminist Media Studies (2021, cited 24 times) and "‘Don’t worry, it’s just a girl!’: Negotiating and challenging gendered assumptions in Sydney’s breakdancing scene" in the Journal of World Popular Music (2016, cited 23 times). These works delve into the paradoxes of gender performance in hip-hop cultures, queering hierarchies, and the ethical dimensions of identity in street dance. Gunn's Google Scholar profile reflects 109 citations overall, underscoring her impact in areas like feminism, poststructuralism, hip-hop, and dance studies. As a practicing breaker and member of the Sydney crew 143 Liverpool Street Familia, she embodied a unique practitioner-scholar approach, lecturing on media and cultural studies while competing nationally.

Voluntary Redundancy Amid Faculty Restructuring

In February 2026, Rachael Gunn opted for voluntary redundancy from Macquarie University's Faculty of Arts, a decision she described as proactive after seeing 'the writing on the wall.' This move came as part of a larger wave of staff reductions, with over 40 colleagues taking similar voluntary packages. The Faculty of Arts faced significant curriculum changes, with 31 percent of units offered in 2025 removed for 2026, alongside mergers and reductions attributed to low enrollment figures. Vice-Chancellor Bruce Dowton emphasized that these adjustments were driven by evolving funding models, a regulatory environment, declining international student numbers, and reduced demand for arts courses, assuring that cuts were not unfairly targeted at the faculty.

Academics have raised concerns about the process, questioning whether positions are being replaced by casual staff despite increased course popularity in some areas. SafeWork NSW had previously warned Macquarie over plans to cut more than 60 staff while operating at a deficit. Gunn's departure highlights the precariousness facing even established lecturers in humanities disciplines during such restructures.

Financial Pressures Plaguing Australian Higher Education

Australia's university sector is grappling with a protracted funding crisis exacerbated by post-pandemic recovery challenges, policy shifts, and economic headwinds. Real-terms funding per Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) has declined by 6 percent since 2017, despite a 2 percent growth in CSP numbers. International student revenue, which reached $22 billion in 2024 and constitutes 71 percent of higher education's economic contribution, has stabilized but faces caps through the National Over Seas Student Cap (NOSC), limiting growth to 145,300 new commencements for public universities in 2025, rising modestly to 161,725 in 2026.

Sector-wide, hundreds of job cuts continued into 2026 following nearly 4,000 in 2025, with examples including 218 redundancies at the Australian National University (ANU) targeting $250 million in savings, over 150 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and widespread course cancellations. While total staff full-time equivalents (FTE) rose 4 percent above 2019 levels by 2024, casual academic positions declined by 7.1 percent, shifting reliance toward continuing and fixed-term roles amid tight budgets. Universities Australia has called for reforms including managed growth funding, restored capital investments, and predictable international policies to secure sustainability.Universities Australia Critical Challenges Report

Stakeholder Perspectives on Macquarie's Cuts

Gunn voiced deep concern for her colleagues, highlighting psychosocial hazards for staff, deteriorating student experiences, and misallocated spending on buildings, consultants, and executive salaries rather than core teaching and research. Parliamentary inquiries have scrutinized 'sham redundancies' in the Arts faculty, with chair Dr. Sarah Kaine probing fairness. Staff unions and academics argue that restructures hollow out humanities, replacing permanent roles with precarious casuals, potentially eroding educational quality.

Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash

• Over 40 voluntary redundancies in Arts.
• 31% curriculum unit reductions for 2026.
• Warnings from SafeWork NSW on deficit-driven cuts.
• Criticism of revenue-generating faculty still facing restructure.

Impacts on Humanities and Arts Disciplines

Humanities faculties like Macquarie's Arts are disproportionately affected, with declining enrollments prompting mergers of majors—11 eliminated—and slashed first-year units, totaling 70,000 teaching hours cut. This mirrors sector trends where teaching, languages, and media courses face elimination, threatening interdisciplinary research on culture, gender, and performance that Gunn championed. Students risk narrower degree options, while early-career researchers lose mentorship pipelines.

Broader implications include casualization: despite overall staff growth, casual FTE dropped, but critics warn restructures push workloads onto underpaid sessional staff, compromising psychosocial safety and innovation.

Gunn's Post-Redundancy Path and Opportunities

Following her redundancy, Gunn is pivoting to public speaking and projects via her site raygunofficial.com. Her dual expertise positions her well for roles in cultural consulting, dance education, or media analysis. For academics facing similar fates, strategies include upskilling in digital humanities, interdisciplinary grants, or industry partnerships. Platforms like Google Scholar showcase transferable skills in qualitative research and public engagement.

Sector-Wide Challenges and Case Studies

Comparable cases abound: UTS's 160 academic cuts post-Fair Work ruling, ANU's ongoing savings drive, and national inquiries into governance transparency. These underscore a crisis decades in the making, with expenses rising 8 percent in 2024 against lagging revenues, liquidity risks at 22 universities, and salaries consuming over two-thirds of grants and fees at 19 institutions. Students protest course losses, unions decry management, yet vice-chancellors advocate realism amid global uncertainty.

Toward Solutions: Policy Reforms and Resilience

Solution-oriented paths include Universities Australia's pre-budget calls for Needs-based Funding from 2027, research block grant boosts, and international policy stability. Institutions can prioritize voluntary redundancies, retraining, and revenue diversification via offshore programs (now 40% of international enrollments). For individuals, networking via academic platforms, adjunct roles, or alt-ac careers in policy and NGOs offers pathways. Gunn's story exemplifies resilience, blending academia with practice for future impact.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Future Outlook for Australian Academics

With indexation at 2.4% in 2026 and NOSC constraints, pressures persist, but recovery signals like 2024 surpluses (4.7%) from investment returns and fee hikes provide breathing room. Optimism lies in the Universities Accord's blueprint for fairer systems, potentially stabilizing jobs and restoring infrastructure investment (down to under 10% of expenses). Gunn's exit prompts reflection: how to safeguard humanities amid fiscal realism while nurturing diverse scholarly voices.