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With the widespread onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Australian universities anticipated a significant loss of students and revenue and hence forecast the need for significant job reductions. Using Higher Education Statistics (HES) data on student numbers and full-time equivalent (FTE) staff by field of study, we explored changes which occurred between 2019 and 2020, this data only becoming publicly available in 2022. Against expectations, and with the exception of the field of study of Management and Commerce, nationally student numbers did not decline, but increased marginally. Our interest lay in the impact of this on casual academic staff employment in Australia's public universities, noting institutional strategies of having a flexible pool of casual staff to manage fluctuations in student demand. While the HES data does not allow firm conclusions, trends may become clearer with the release of the 2021 data. Nonetheless, it appears that many universities reduced casual academic staff numbers and marginally increased full and part time appointments. Overall, there were fewer academic staff to teach a static or increased number of students. What this exercise suggests is that irrespective of student enrolments, some universities may have used the pandemic as an opportunity for restructures and academic renewal. It also highlights the difficulties that universities may experience in managing their academic workforce.

"Good Practice Notes" offer practical advice and examples of good practice to guide operations in regard to specific, higher education issues. The best practice guides are intended to support and promote the quality assurance approaches of providers. This "Good Practice Note" is intended to complement the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's (TEQSA) Advice on Admissions Transparency (see ED583514). The phrase 'admissions transparency' refers to Australian higher education providers presenting clear information which helps prospective domestic undergraduate students, regardless of their background, understand the criteria and processes for admission to the providers' courses. Such information should be clear, transparent and easily understood. Prospective students must be able to understand the information and compare providers and courses to enable them to make informed study choices. Information should also be presented so that parents, teachers and career advisers are able to understand the information so that they can support and assist students to make decisions about courses and providers. This "Good Practice Note" presents Australian higher education providers with exemplars and specific practical advice to assist them to make the processes for admission to higher education institutions transparent for prospective students.