Michael is joined by Tim Winkler, director of Twig Marketing & specialist higher education marketing and strategy consultancy, who wrote in yesterday’s The Australian newspaper that ‘audit and risk committees in the councils of multiple Australian universities should be hauling their chief financial officer and chief marketing officer in for an explanation right now.’

‘For Australian universities, the coronavirus should be far more significant as a human issue, rather than a logistical or ­financial one.’

‘The tremendous toll of anxiety, fear and, in some cases, grieving felt by Chinese ­students, Chinese staff, staff and students from the Chinese dias­pora and their friends, partners, flatmates and academic colleagues is massive.’

‘The financial issue, while ­poten­tially serious, is a smaller issue — and one that should have been anticipated and prepared for by university leaders.’

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