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Margaret Elaine Gardner (born 19 January 1954) is an Australian academic, economist and university executive serving as the 30th and current governor of Victoria since August 2023. She was previously the vice-chancellor of Monash University from 2014 to 2023 and the RMIT University from 2005 to 2014.
After her PhD, Gardner received a Fulbright scholarship and studied at the University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University. Professor Margaret Gardner, AO - RMIT University
Gardner served in executive positions with Deakin University, Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology.
Gardner was the deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland. She was appointed vice-chancellor of RMIT University on 4 April 2005, taking over from care-taker vice-chancellor Chris Whitaker. Prior to Gardner's appointment in 2005, RMIT was experiencing a regular budget shortfall of A$24 million. RMIT's new chief one of a vice-chancellor pair (David Rood) - The Age, 22 January 2005 Picking up the poisoned chalice (David Rood) - The Age, 9 April 2005 After her first year as vice-chancellor, the university reported a $23.2 million surplus. This surplus increased to A$50.1 million by 2007. The change in financial situations was arranged through selling the university's real estate holdings, increasing student fees by 9% annually, and firing 180 university staff. RMIT is back in the black (Lisa MacNamara) - The Australian, 2 May 2007.
Gardner was the 9th vice-chancellor of Monash University from September 2014 until August 2023 when she was appointed as Governor of Victoria. At the time of her retirement from Monash University, Gardner was Australia's highest-paid vice-chancellor, earning nearly $1.6 million, an increase of $190K from the previous year. "The uni rich list: Vice chancellors on $1 million salaries revealed" (Daniella White and Sherryn Groch), The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June 2024.
Gardner was the chair of Universities Australia from 2017 to 2019, Chair of the Group of Eight (Australian universities) from 2020 to 2023, president of RMIT International University Holdings Pty. Ltd. and the Museum Victoria, chair of the Australian Technology Network and of the Education Advisory Group of the Council for Australia-Latin America Relations, and director of the Australian Teaching and Learning Council.
On behalf of Bessant, the National Tertiary Education Union launched an "adverse action" claim against RMIT and Gardner in the Federal Court of Australia. The presiding judge, Justice Gray, was highly critical of Gardner's management of the case, especially given her considerable experience in industrial relations. In deciding the case, Gray also said he took into consideration the "apparent determination" by Gardner to "ignore her knowledge of Professor Hayward's animosity towards Professor Bessant". He also found that Gardner displayed a lack of contrition for what the court found to be a blatant contravention of workplace laws.
The Federal Court reinstated Bessant and indicated that she would be entitled to approximately $2 million in compensation if she was not reinstated. The court also ordered RMIT to pay a civil penalty of $37,000 for two contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 as a warning to employers of the risks of using "sham" redundancies as a means for dismissing difficult employees. The case was reported in the national media in addition to becoming an important case study that is widely discussed on legal websites. Bessant later published a personal account of the case.
In 2022, Monash University and their lawyers Clayton Utz made an application to the Fair Work Commission to retrospectively rewrite clauses and vary the Monash University Enterprise Agreement. “Application by Monash University - (2023) FWC 611” (Justice Hatcher), Fair Work Commission, 15 March 2023. They did this by trying to clarify use of the term "contemporaneous consultation" with students around lectures and tutorials. The university sought to have the enterprise agreement amended to define contemporaneous as meaning "within a week of the lecture". National Tertiary Education Union president Alison Barnes accused Monash of the "height of employer bastardry". She said that "They negotiated that enterprise bargaining agreement in good faith and to try to alter it is extraordinary." "Monash tries to dodge $10m wage theft bill as uni sector wage crisis deepens" (Ben Schneiders), The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 April 2023. If this had been successful, it would have resolved some of the university's underpayment liabilities and negated the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) underpayment claim. The Fair Work Commission's deputy president ultimately rejected the application by Monash University, ruling staff were entitled to the enterprise agreement they had agreed to in good faith. "Fair Work Commission Decision-(2023) FWC 1148" (Deputy President Bell), Fair Work Commission, 7 June 2023. "Monash University to settle $8,6 million pay shortfall with casual staff" (Cassandra Morgan), The Age, 23 September 2021. "NTEU scores massive win over Monash's bid to dodge wage theft" (NTEU), 2022. "Inside Australia's university wage theft machine" (Ben Schneiders), The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 April 2023.
On 23 September 2021, Gardner and the university unreservedly apologised to all staff and their NTEU representatives, later reiterating this apology before the Senate standing committee. "Systemic, sustained and shameful" (Senate standing committee on economics, Unlawful Underpayment of Employees Remuneration 4.32), March 2022.
At the time of her retirement from Monash University, Gardner was Australia'
"The uni rich list: Vice chancellors on $1 million salaries revealed"" (Daniella White and Sherryn Groch), The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June 2024.
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