McGaughey, FionaFionaMcGaugheyWatermeyer, RichardRichardWatermeyerShankar, KalpanaKalpanaShankaret al.2021-08-192021-08-192021 HERDS2022Higher Education Research and Development0729-4360http://hdl.handle.net/10197/12421The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the university sector globally. This article reports on the Australian findings from a large-scale survey of academic staff and their experiences and predictions of the impact of the pandemic on their wellbeing. We report the perceptions of n=370 Australian academics and accounts of their institutions’ responses to COVID-19, analysed using self-determination theory. Respondents report work-related stress, digital fatigue, and a negative impact on work-life balance; as well as significant concerns over potential longer-term changes to academia as a result of the pandemic. Respondents also articulate their frustration with Australia’s neoliberal policy architecture and the myopia of quasi-market reform, which has spawned an excessive reliance on international students as a pillar of income generation, and therefore jeopardised institutional solvency – particularly during the pandemic. Conversely, respondents identify a number of ‘silver linings’ which speak to the resilience of academics.enThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Higher Education Research and Development on [date of publication], available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/[Article DOI].COVID-19AcademicsAustraliaWell-beingSelf-determination theoryCoronavirusJournal Article4172231224610.1080/07294360.2021.19733842021-08-16https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/