7am Rick Morton and the spreadsheet of secrets
Oct 1, 2025
Rick Morton, an investigative journalist, dives deep into the controversial KPMG-UTS spreadsheet that ranked researchers by their financial contributions. With 1,100 job cuts looming at University of Technology Sydney, he questions if these redundancies were influenced by financial metrics. Morton reveals how UTS initially denied the spreadsheet's existence, sparking concerns over transparency in university governance. His insights raise critical questions about the balance between profitability and quality in Australian higher education.
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Spreadsheet Sparks Investigation
- Rick Morton discovered UTS had hired KPMG to produce a master spreadsheet ranking researchers by research income and outputs.
- That spreadsheet's existence raised immediate questions about whether it informed redundancy decisions during a $100 million restructure.
Spreadsheet Initially Denied
- UTS repeatedly told FOI requesters the master spreadsheet "did not eventuate" and could not be found despite contracts mentioning it.
- Persistent FOI follow-ups and status reports forced continued scrutiny of the missing document.
Barrister Misled By UTS
- The spreadsheet did exist and had been completed for KPMG's diagnostic analysis, contrary to UTS's earlier claims.
- A barrister conducting an internal review was misled and initially found no spreadsheet because the university denied its existence.
