Australia’s universities are heading for a major shortfall in academic staff.

That’s according to a study into the future of the academic profession in Australia.

The study, conducted by higher education researchers in Melbourne, found conditions at Australian universities are not good enough to attract new staff to meet the needs of a growing population of students.

The study’s authors say the problem is compounded by universities’ reliance on casual staff, whose needs are inadequately understood by university management,

2SER's Fergus Grieve spoke to the study’s lead author, Dr Hamish Coates, from the Australian Council for Educational Research in Melbourne.