The period of wide consultation with the main union and other groups has just closed.

Vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt told staff that on Thursday "we will release a paper which summarises the suggestions and questions we received, as well as which options we're exploring and which options we may be unable to pursue".

Next week, the university will then make public exactly what it intends to do.

The union at the university said that jobs should not be the first line of cost-saving.

"Humans should be standing in front of a class, not standing in a dole queue," Dr Cathy Day, secretary of the ACT division of the National Tertiary Education Union said. "Throwing people out of work is a disregard for them as human beings."

Professor Schmidt has said that the ANU would earn $150 million less than expected and spend $75 million more than planned as a result of the health crisis.

Big capital spending projects have been deferred and borrowing increased, he said.

"But even after all of this, we need to find an additional $100 million in savings this year."

ANU senior management have taken pay cuts of 10 to 20 per cent.

Staff have deferred a pay rise and are discussing offering other wage-saving measures to head off redundancies.

The union argues that the ANU is one of the few Australian universities which has a large cash reserve and that could be reduced.

The union's Dr Day said that the surplus amounted to $250 million. "They keep telling us that's for a rainy day.

"Well, it's pouring at the moment," she said.